RAS question
Up to which financial year has the Atal Pension Yojana been extended by the Union Cabinet?
Correct answer: (D) FY 2030-31.
The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of the Atal Pension Yojana up to FY 2030-31.
Explanation
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the continuation of the Atal Pension Yojana up to FY 2030-31. The PIB release also says that funding support was extended for promotional and developmental activities and for gap funding. This matters because the question is not asking when the scheme began or what benefits it provides; it is asking the terminal financial year approved by the Cabinet. Among the options, only FY 2030-31 matches the official continuation period stated in the release. The reference to government support for outreach among unorganised workers and scheme sustainability explains why the approval is framed as continuation rather than a one-year administrative extension.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) FY 2027-28 is too early; the PIB release states that the Cabinet approved continuation of APY up to FY 2030-31.
- (B) FY 2028-29 does not match the Cabinet decision, which extended APY beyond that year to FY 2030-31.
- (C) FY 2029-30 is one financial year short of the approved endpoint, as the official release names FY 2030-31.
Concept
This tests welfare-scheme governance under Union Cabinet decisions, especially the approved time horizon of flagship social security schemes. RAS repeatedly asks such items because scheme extensions, funding support and target groups are standard current-governance facts.