The Union Cabinet has approved continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with a total outlay of ₹53,428 crore. The programme has also been renamed Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, while its core role remains social assistance for eligible elderly persons, widows, persons with disabilities and bereaved poor households.
A significant change concerns disability pension. The benchmark-disability criterion is being aligned with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, lowering the relevant threshold from 80% disability to 40% and widening the potential coverage of eligible persons. The decision should be read as a redesign within the existing centrally sponsored social-assistance architecture, not as a new contributory insurance scheme.
For civil-services preparation, the programme links Directive Principles, social protection and Centre-State implementation. Article 41 directs the State, within its economic capacity, to make effective provision for public assistance in cases such as old age, sickness and disablement. The policy question is how benefit adequacy, identification, fiscal sharing and last-mile delivery affect the effectiveness of such assistance.