How Jharkhand’s pension scheme is transforming rural lives

Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest states and yet it has made significant strides in expanding the coverage of pensions for the needy and vulnerable, setting an example for other states and the Union government.

In India, the National Social Assistance Programme, launched in 1995, provides non-contributory pensions to elderly, widows and persons with disabilities.

The programme is rooted in the Indian Constitution’s Directive Principles of State Policy, which say it is the government’s duty to offer public assistance to ensure basic standard of living to people in need. In a country like India, where millions face a lifetime of hardships, deprivation, and dependency on others, such interventions can go a long way in restoring human dignity.

However, the National Social Assistance Programme has been hobbled by severe underfunding by the Centre, which has not raised the monthly old age pension from Rs 200 per person since 2011. Additionally, the coverage of pensions has been poor and many needy people have not been able to access them.

Against this backdrop, Jharkhand has made notable progress. It began a set of reforms in 2019, which culminated in the unveiling of a comprehensive social security pension scheme called Sarvajan Pension Yojana in 2022. The number of pensioners in Jharkhand surged...

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