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htm
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP)
! Intro"#ction
T$e National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is a welfare programme
being administered by the Ministry of Rural Development. This programme is being
implemented in rural areas as well as urban areas. NSAP represents a significant
step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in the
onstitution of !ndia which en"oin upon the State to underta#e within its means a
number of welfare measures. These are intended to secure for the citi$ens ade%uate
means of livelihood& raise the standard of living& improve public health& provide free
and compulsory education for children etc. !n particular& Article '( of the onstitution
of !ndia directs the State to provide public assistance to its citi$ens in case of
unemployment& old age& sic#ness and disablement and in other cases of undeserved
want within the limit of its economic capacity and development. !t is in accordance
with these noble principles that the )overnment of !ndia on (*
th
August (++*
included the National Social Assistance Programme in the entral ,udget for (++*-
+.. The Prime Minister in his broadcast to the Nation on /0
th
1uly (++* announced
that the programme will come into effect from (*
th
August (++*. Accordingly the
)ovt. of !ndia launched NSAP as a entrally Sponsored Scheme w.e.f (*th August
(++* towards fulfilment of these principles.
The National Social Assistance Programme 2NSAP3 then comprised of
National 4ld Age Pension Scheme 2N4APS3& National 5amily ,enefit Scheme
2N5,S3 and National Maternity ,enefit Scheme 2NM,S3. These programmes were
meant for providing social assistance benefit to the aged& the ,P6 households in the
case of death of the primary breadwinner and for maternity. These programmes
were aimed to ensure minimum national standards in addition to the benefits that the
States were then providing or would provide in future.
The scale of benefit and eligibility for various schemes of NSAP when first
started were as follows7
2i3 National 4ld Age Pension Scheme 2N4APS37 Rs 8* per month is provided
per beneficiary for destitute above .* years. The scheme covered destitute
having little or no regular means of subsistence from his 9 her own sources of
income or through financial support from family members or other sources. !n
order to determine destitution& the criteria& if any& currently in force in the State
9 :T )overnments were adapted. The )overnment of !ndia reserved the right
to review these criteria and suggest appropriate revised criteria.
2ii3 National 5amily ,enefit Scheme 2N5,S37 A grant of Rs *;;; in case of death
due to natural causes and Rs (;&;;; in case of accidental death of the
<primary breadwinner= is provided to the bereaved household under this
scheme. The primary breadwinner as specified in the scheme& whether male
or female& had to be a member of the household whose earning contributed
substantially to the total household income. The death of such a primary
breadwinner occurring whilst he or she is in the age group of (0 to .' years
i.e.& more than (0 years of age and less than .* years of age& ma#es the
family eligible to receive grants under the scheme.
2iii3 National Maternity ,enefit Scheme 2NM,S37 :nder the scheme& Rs >;; per
pregnancy upto the first two live births is provided. The beneficiary should
belong to a household ,elow the Poverty 6ine 2,P63 according to the criteria
prescribed by )overnment of !ndia.
!n (++0& the amount of benefit under N5,S was raised to Rs (;&;;; in case
of death due to natural causes as well as accidental causes. The assistance under
the National Maternity ,enefit Scheme which was at Rs >;;9-& was increased to Rs
*;;9- per pregnancy.
%! Trans&er o& National Maternit' (ene&it Sc$eme to D)o Famil' *el&are
During the course of deliberations to consider National Population Policy in
the second meeting held on (*
th
1une&(+++& the )roup of Ministers observed that
National Maternity ,enefit Scheme being implemented by the Ministry of Rural
Development could be assigned to the Department of 5amily ?elfare to become part
and parcel of the Population Stabili$ation Programme. 4n receipt of a
communication in this regard from the Planning ommission& the Ministry of Rural
Development agreed to transfer NM,S to the Department of 5amily ?elfare from the
5inancial @ear /;;(-/;;/ and thus the Scheme was transferred to that Ministry
w.e.f. (
st
April&/;;(.
+! Anna,#rna Sc$eme
4n (
st
April& /;;; a new Scheme #nown as Annapurna Scheme was
launched. This Scheme aimed at providing food security to meet the re%uirement of
those senior citi$ens who& though eligible& have remained uncovered under the
N4APS. :nder the Annapurna Scheme (; #gs of food grains per month are
provided free of cost to the beneficiary. The number of persons to be benefited from
the Scheme are& in the first instance& /;A of the persons eligible to receive pension
under N4APS in States9:Ts
-! Trans&er o& NSAP an" Anna,#rna Sc$eme to State Plan
!n the National Development ouncil Meeting held in 1anuary (++8 to discuss
the Draft Approach to the Ninth Plan& several hief Ministers of States suggested for
transfer of the entrally Sponsored Schemes to States. As per the Approach Paper
to the Ninth 5ive @ear Plan& it was emphasi$ed that in principle entrally Sponsored
Schemes should be confined to schemes of an inter-state character& matters
impinging on national security& selected national priorities where central supervision
is essential for effective implementation. As a result of the review of the entrally
Sponsored Schemes by the Planning ommission in consultation with the Mo RD& it
was decided to transfer NSAP and Annapurna to the State Plans from the year
/;;/-;>.
?ith this change& the funds for the operation of these schemes are now being
released as Additional entral Assistance 2AA3 to the States by the Ministry of
5inance. The AA to be provided to the States9:Ts for the NSAP and Annapurna
Scheme is decided by the Planning ommission& while the State-wise allocation of
AA is made by the Ministry of Rural Development and Planning ommission. The
AA provided to the States 9 :Ts under NSAP and Annapurna are to be utili$ed by
the States9 :Ts as ?elfare Schemes of N4APS& N5,S or free food grains to the
aged by ta#ing one or two or all of the three schemes or in any another combination
in accordance with their own priorities and needs. The Additional entral Assistance
to the States constitute a general additionality over and above the normal allocation
of the States for such welfare schemes as reflected in the States ,udget& both under
Plan and Non-Plan. The States have to therefore& provide the Mandatory Minimum
Provision 2 MMP3 for these schemes under their own budget. The MoRD has a role
in monitoring the eBpenditure against the AA and the MMP.
.! Feat#res o& t$e Sc$emes
Some of the other important features of the schemes are as follows7
a) Selection
The )ram Panchayat 9 Municipalities are eBpected to play an active role in the
identification of the beneficiaries under the three schemes.
b) Disbursement
Apart from the disbursal of benefits through the accounts of the beneficiaries in
,an#s or in Post 4ffice Savings ,an#s or through Postal Money 4rder the
assistance under N4APS& may also be disbursed in public meetings such as
)ram Sabha meetings in rural areas and by neighbourhood 9 mohalla committees
in urban areas.
c) Monitoring
The States 9 :Ts have the fleBibility to implement the schemes through any State
)ovt. Department. They have to however& designate a Nodal Secretary at the
State level to report the progress of implementation by coordinating with different
departments concerned with the implementation of the schemes. The progress of
implementation of the schemes is to be reported through %uarterly reports in a
given monitoring format by the (*
th
of month of the following %uarter. Non
reporting of the physical and financial progress reports is construed as lac# of
progress and therefore& may result in the non-release of additional central
assistance for the last %uarter of the financial year. Since the AA allocations for
the schemes lapse at the end of the financial year& the instalments cannot be
released during the neBt financial year& even if a State )ovt. reports progress
subse%uent to the cut-off dates fiBed as above.
The NSAP is included in the schemes to be reviewed by the Cigilance D
Monitoring ommittee 2CDM3 constituted at the District 6evel& along with other
Rural Development Schemes. MPs re represented in the CDM in the District.
d) Guidelines of the Programme
)uidelines were issued by the MoRD to all the States and :Ts when NSAP was
a entrally Sponsored Programme. The State )overnments may now issue their
own guidelines for more effective implementation of the schemes. The State
)overnments have been given the re%uisite fleBibility in the choice and
implementation of the schemes. !t is eBpected that State )overnments will
streamline disbursements so that the payments are made timely& will also have a
mechanism for a more transparent system of sanction especially in the event of
death of beneficiaries under N4APS& adopt a system of annual verification and
will also actively involve the )ram Panchayats.
e) State-run Schemes
Several States supplement the old age scheme with their own budgets. Most
States are giving more than the amount made available under N4APS while
some States cover additional beneficiaries and others have reduced the age for
eligibility. Presently the wor# on a state-wise compilation of all the pension
schemes run by each state& including the pension schemes under NSAP& is
underway.
/! En$ancement o& Pension amo#nt #n"er NOAPS "#ring %00/102
Finance Minister in his Budget Speech for the year 200-0! had announced
as follo"s#-
National Social Assistance Programme
/+. < $ld age pensions are granted under the %ational Social &ssistance
Programme'%S&P) to destitute persons abo(e the age of ) years at *s+!)
per month+ , propose to increase the pension to *s+200 per month+ , "ould
urge State Go(ernments to ma-e an e.ual contribution from their resources
so that a destitute pensioner "ould get at least *s+/00 per month+0
Accordingly the rate of pension under N4APS was revised to Rs./;;9-
per month per beneficiary.
2! Re3ision o& t$e eligi4ilit' criteria #n"er NOAPS in %002
)overnment of !ndia on (>.+./;;8 modified the eligibility criteria for grant of old age
pension to persons aged .* years or higher and belonging to a household below the
poverty line according to the criteria prescribed by the )overnment of !ndia& from the
erstwhile criteria of the beneficiary being a destitute of .* years of age or above.
Thus the pension was universali$ed.
5! Intro"#ction o& t6o ne6 Pension Sc$emes in %007
(i) In"ira 8an"$i National *i"o6 Pension Sc$eme (I8N*PS)
!n 5ebruary /;;+& )4! has approved pension to ,P6 widows in the age
group of ';-.' years E Rs. /;; p.m. per beneficiary.
(ii) In"ira 8an"$i National Disa4ilit' Pension Sc$eme (I8NDPS)
!n 5ebruary /;;+& )4! has also approved pension under !ndira )andhi
National Disability Pension Scheme 2!)NDPS3 for ,P6 persons with severe or
multiple disabilities between the age group of (0-.' years E Rs. /;; p.m. per
beneficiary.
5! En$ancement o& Pension amo#nt #n"er I8NOAPS in %0
The FonGble 5inance Minister while presenting the :nion ,udget /;((-(/ in
the Parliament on /0
th
5ebruary /;(( announced that Hunder the on-going !ndira
)andhi National 4ld Age Pension Scheme for ,P6 beneficiaries& the eligibility for
pension is proposed to be reduced from .* years at present to .; years. 5urther& for
those who are 0; years and above& the pension amount is being raised from Rs./;;
at present to Rs.*;; per month.G
Accordingly the eligibility age for pension under !)N4APS has been reduced to .;
years w.e.f. (
st
April& /;((. The rate of pension under !)N4APS was increased to
Rs. *;;9- per month per beneficiary for those beneficiaries of age 0; years and
above w.e.f. (
st
April& /;((. Accordingly the upper age limit for receipt of pension
under !ndira )andhi National ?idow Pension Scheme 2!)N?PS3 and !ndira )andhi
National Disability Pension Scheme 2!)NDPS3 was reduced to *+ years beyond
which they stand migrated to !)N4APS
7! Present stat#s o& NSAP
Thus& presently NSAP now comprises of the following five schemes7-
i) In"ira 8an"$i National Ol" Age Pension Sc$eme (I8NOAPS)9 :nder the
scheme& ,P6 persons aged .; years or above are entitled to a monthly
pension of Rs. /;;9- up to 8+ years of age and Rs.*;;9- thereafter.
ii) In"ira 8an"$i National *i"o6 Pension Sc$eme (I8N*PS)9 ,P6 widows
aged ';-*+ years are entitled to a monthly pension of Rs. /;;9-.

iii) In"ira 8an"$i National Disa4ilit' Pension Sc$eme (I8NDPS)9 ,P6 persons
aged (0-*+ years with severe and multiple disabilities are entitled to a monthly
pension of Rs. /;;9-.
i3) National Famil' (ene&it Sc$eme (NF(S)9 :nder the scheme a ,P6
household is entitled to lump sum amount of money on the death of primary
breadwinner aged between (0 and .' years. The amount of assistance is Rs.
(;.;;;9-.
3) Anna,#rna9 :nder the scheme& (; #g of food grains per month are provided
free of cost to those senior citi$ens who& though eligible& have remained
uncovered under N4APS.
10. Implementation of NSAP Schemes
The NSAP is implemented in the States9:Ts in accordance with the general
conditions applicable to all components of the NSAP as well as specific condition
applicable to each component. The NSAP Schemes are mainly implemented by the
Social ?elfare Departments in the States. ,ut NSAP is implemented by Rural
Development Department in the States of Andhra Pradesh& Assam& )oa& Meghalaya
and ?est ,engalI by the Department of ?omen D hild Development in 4rissa and
PuducherryI by the Revenue Department in Jarnata#a and Tamil Nadu and by the
Department of 6abour Kmployment D Training in 1har#hand. The NSAP eBtends to
both the rural as well as urban areas. Though the implementation of various
schemes under NSAP is not uniform across the country& the issues of
implementation are regularly being discussed with the State )overnment officials in
the Nodal 4fficersG meetings and %uarterly PR meetings.
! :om,#terisation o& "ata4ase ; O,erationalisation o& NSAP1MIS
4n the occasion of the launching of the !ndira )andhi National 4ld Age
Pension Scheme 2!)N4APS3& FonGble 5inance Minister in his speech indicated that
all out efforts should be made to include details of every beneficiary in a
computeri$ed data base. A system should be devised so as to credit the amount of
pension payable to each beneficiary directly into his account either in a Post 4ffice
or in a scheduled commercial ban#. !n compliance of the said directions and also in
order to increase the transparency and accountability in the implementation& it had
been decided to computeri$e the data base of the beneficiaries under various
schemes of NSAP. N! has been accordingly entrusted with the pro"ect and the
software development. The software captures all the essential processes from
identification till termination of the pension. The legacy date of more than ( crore
beneficiaries has been placed on the NSAP website. States have been as#ed to start
operationalising the software for the districts for which data has been uploaded.
! Monitoring o& t$e sc$eme!
Annual verification and Social Audit has been introduced under NSAP. All the
States are to complete the Annual verification by >;
th
1une and the Social Audit by
>;
th
September& each year.
A chec#list for the schemes under NSAP is provided to the National 6evel
Monitors 2N6Ms3 during their field visits. Kach N6M is advised to visit the district&
bloc# and village level offices and meet the government functionaries& public
representatives and the beneficiaries to get feedbac# on the implementation of the
schemes under NSAP.
Monthly meeting of the Divisional Fead with the Nodal 4fficers of each
State9:T is held in Delhi. Also a %uarterly Performance Review ommittee meeting
is also held.
2! Financial an" P$'sical Ac$ie3ements
Summary of the combined allocations& total releases under the three
Schemes and the coverage of beneficiaries in respect of each of the Schemes after
these were transferred to the State Plan are as in AnneBure ! and AnneBure !!
respectively.
AnneBure !
FINAN:IAL PRO8RESS
(Rs! in la<$s)
Year :om4ine" Allocation Total Releases
/;;/-;> .0;;;.;; .*8;+.0.
/;;>-;' .8+08.;; .;//..8+
/;;'-;* ((0+08.;; (;>/;(.8'
/;;*-;. ((+;;;.;; ((0+8(.;;
/;;.-;8 /'0;+8.;; /'0+.(.''
/;;8- ;0 /0+('0./; /00+8>./(
/;;0-;+ '*;;;;.;; '*;;;;.;;
/;;+-(; */;;;;.;; *(**'+.8/
/;(;-(( *(./;;.;; *(./;;.;;
/;((-(/ .(*8*8.;; = /(;;*+.+0
=Releases #, to >#l'? %0!
Anne@#re II
PAYSI:AL PRO8RESS REPORTED (Y TAE STATES)UNION TERRITORIES
Year :o3erage o& (ene&iciaries
I8NOAPS I8N*PS I8NDPS NF(S Anna,#rna
/;;/-;> 8'8(*;+ LL LL 0*/;+ 8+..0/
/;;>-;' .*>';;; LL LL /;+'*. +*0..+
/;;'-;* 0;8+>0. LL LL /.(+0( 0*;8.0
/;;*-;. 0;;/*.( LL LL /8/0/0 0*8;8+
/;;.-;8 0.'*>8( LL LL (8(/>/ 8*;>(+
/;;8-;0 ((*(';/. LL LL >>'(.0 (;8./(;
/;;0-;+ (*'0>0>. LL LL >+*'.; 00>/>/
/;;+-(; (.>>>*80 >/(>'.8 .++.0; >'>8/. (;(*.**
/;(;-(( (8;*+8*. >'/*>+; (>/0>(; >>'+/' +.>.0+
/;((-(/ B
+((.>0* /(>'/*. '8(/;* 88;*/ '../0.
== I8N*PS an" I8NDPS 6ere intro"#ce" in Fe4r#ar' %007 B Fig#res as on %-!05!%0

MMM.