11 years on, Jan Suraksha schemes deliver Rs 25,000 crore safety net for crores of Indians

More than a decade after the launch of the Centre’s flagship Jan Suraksha programmes, claims amounting to nearly Rs 25,160 crore have been paid out under two major insurance schemes, with enrolments include several crores across life cover, accident insurance and pension initiatives. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, marking 11 years of the Jan Suraksha schemes on Saturday, said the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) have emerged as major pillars of affordable social security since their launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 9, 2015. The three schemes were introduced to expand financial protection for all, with a particular focus on vulnerable and underserved sections, while also strengthening long-term financial resilience through wider insurance and pension access. Sharing enrolment figures, Sitharaman said PMJJBY has crossed 27 crore registrations, PMSBY has gone beyond 58 crore, while APY has recorded over 9 crore enrolments. Of the total claims settled since launch, PMJJBY accounted for more than Rs 21,500 crore, benefiting upwards of 10.7 lakh families. PMSBY, which focuses on accident insurance, has disbursed close to Rs 3,660 crore to more than 1.84 lakh families. “As we mark the 11th anniversary of the Jan Suraksha schemes, heartfelt appreciation for all the stakeholders, including field functionaries of banks and insurance companies, whose dedicated efforts have made these schemes a huge success,” Sitharaman said. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary highlighted the impact of digitisation, saying the online Jan Suraksha Portal has removed the need for physical visits to banks or post offices for enrolment, while online claims processing has helped speed up assistance. “As we celebrate the 11th anniversaries of the three-social security (Jan Suraksha) schemes — PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY, let us recount how these schemes have enabled affordable insurance and security to people (Jan Suraksha), their achievements and salient features,” he said. Under PMJJBY, individuals aged 18 to 50 years can access life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for death due to any cause by paying an annual premium of Rs 436 through participating banks or post offices. Government data showed that by April 29, the scheme included 12.72 crore women subscribers and 8.09 crore PMJDY account holders. PMSBY, available for those aged 18 to 70 years, offers accidental death and disability insurance at Rs 20 per year. It provides Rs 2 lakh in case of accidental death or total disability, and Rs 1 lakh for partial disability. As of April 29, 2026, female enrolments stood at 27.45 crore, while PMJDY-linked subscribers were at 19.30 crore. APY, aimed at securing post-retirement income for workers in the unorganised sector, offers guaranteed monthly pensions between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 after 60 years of age, depending on the subscriber’s contribution. Open to non-income-tax-paying bank account holders aged 18 to 40 years, the scheme functions under the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority through the National Pension System. The pension scheme had enrolled over 7.66 crore people by April 2025, with total subscriptions rising to more than 9.04 crore by April 30, 2026. Subscribers can opt for monthly, quarterly or half-yearly payments, while in the event of death before 60, the spouse can either continue contributing until the original retirement age or withdraw the accumulated corpus.