DAILY NEWS WRAP | 16 OCTOBER 2026
On 14 October 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹53,428 crore. The scheme gets a new name, the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana, and its disability-pension benchmark is cut from 80% to 40%.
What the Cabinet decided
NSAP is the Centre’s social pension programme for people who need income support in old age, widowhood and disability. Four changes were reported. The scheme continues for a fresh five-year cycle, 2026-27 to 2030-31. It is renamed the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana. The disability benchmark falls from 80% to 40%. And the minimum-age criterion is removed, so a person with the required disability is eligible from birth.
Why the 80% to 40% change matters
A benchmark is the threshold of disability a person must meet to qualify. At 80%, only those with severe disability were covered. At 40%, a far wider group of persons with disabilities comes within reach of the pension. Removing the minimum age widens access further, since children can now be covered as well. The scheme reaches about 3.20 crore beneficiaries across all 36 States and Union Territories.
Reports also give the existing disability-pension rates: ₹375 a month up to the age of 79 and ₹625 a month at 80 and above. The revised criteria are to apply within three months of the new guidelines being issued, so the change takes effect only after those guidelines appear.
The exam fact: 1995 and Article 41
NSAP was launched on 15 August 1995 and is run by the Ministry of Rural Development as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It gives effect to the Directive Principles of State Policy, in particular Article 41. That article asks the State to make effective provision for public assistance in cases of old age, sickness and disablement, within the limits of its economic capacity.
Constitutional, legal and institutional framework
- Article 41 (Part IV, Directive Principles): the State shall make effective provision for the right to work, to education and to public assistance in old age, sickness, disablement and other cases of undeserved want, within the limits of its economic capacity.
- NSAP: Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development, launched 15 August 1995.
- Cabinet approval: 14 October 2026; period 2026-27 to 2030-31; outlay ₹53,428 crore.
- Directive Principles guide the State in making policy; a scheme like NSAP is one way they are put into practice.
CLAT angle
- GK: new name, outlay, period, benchmark change and the 1995 launch date are all one-line questions.
- Legal Reasoning / Polity: a passage may ask which Directive Principle a welfare scheme implements; the answer here is Article 41.
- Reasoning from a rule: if the benchmark is 40%, a person with 55% disability meets it; at the old 80% benchmark the same person would not.
- Application: removing a minimum age means a child with the required disability can qualify.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 14 October 2026 (Union Cabinet) |
| Scheme | National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) |
| New name | Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana |
| Period / outlay | 2026-27 to 2030-31 / ₹53,428 crore |
| Disability benchmark | Cut from 80% to 40% |
| Minimum-age criterion | Removed (eligible from birth) |
| Beneficiaries | About 3.20 crore, all 36 States/UTs |
| Disability pension rates | ₹375 a month (to 79 years); ₹625 (80 and above) |
| NSAP launched / Article | 15 August 1995 / Article 41 |
Memory hook
“Half the bar: 80 becomes 40; 95 and 41.” The disability bar is halved, and NSAP (1995) rests on Article 41.
Sources
Daily Excelsior (Cabinet decision, dateline New Delhi, 14 October 2026), The Hindu (15 October 2026), ZeeBiz and Business Upturn; Ministry of Rural Development background on NSAP.
This is one story from today’s bulletin. Read the full wrap: Daily News Wrap, 16 October 2026.
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