Regarding 'Atal Pension Yojana', which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganized sector workers. 2. Only one member of a family can join the scheme. 3. Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber's death. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Why the answer is (c)
• Atal Pension Yojana (2015) guarantees a fixed monthly pension of ₹1,000–5,000 from age 60 to subscribers aged 18–40, mainly unorganised-sector workers, administered by PFRDA (statement 1).
• On the subscriber's death the same pension is paid to the spouse for life, and the corpus then goes to the nominee (statement 3).
• Statement 2 is wrong: there is no one-member-per-family limit; any eligible individual with a bank account can join.
• Hence 1 and 3 only, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 only
- Statement 3 on spouse pension is also correct.
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- Statement 2 is wrong: no family limit.
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
- Statement 2 is wrong.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2016, held on 7 August 2016. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.