Indira Gandhi’s name axed, ‘Prime Minister’ tag for pension schemes

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet has approved the renaming of three social security pension schemes named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, replacing their existing names with new ones bearing the Pradhan Mantri prefix.

The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Vridhavastha Pension Yojana, while the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme will become the Pradhan Mantri Vidhawa Pension Yojana. The Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme will be renamed the Pradhan Mantri Divyangjan Pension Yojana.

The Cabinet has also approved renaming the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) as the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana and the National Family Benefit Scheme as the Pradhan Mantri Parivar Labh Yojana.

The programme has been extended for five years, from 2026–27 to 2030–31, with a total outlay of Rs 53,428 crore, according to the official announcement.