Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Pension Sakhis to Expand Rural Retirement Coverage Across India
The government wants rural families to learn more about saving for retirement.
It will create local helpers called Pension Sakhis.
These helpers will explain pension plans and help people enrol.
They will also provide support after people join a pension plan.
Many helpers will come from women’s self-help groups and existing community networks.
The programme will especially focus on rural women and families who have limited access to formal retirement services.
It will promote pension products such as the National Pension System.
Digital tools will help officials track the programme’s progress.
The Department of Rural Development and PFRDA signed an MoU to expand pension awareness and support across rural India.
Pension Sakhis will help households understand pension options, enrol and access post-enrolment services.
The programme will use women-led self-help groups, Banking Correspondent Sakhis and trained community workers.
Rural women, Self Help Group members, Lakhpati Didis and underserved households are key target groups.
Digital dashboards and mobile, web-based and identifier-based systems will track outreach, enrolments and performance.
- Who
- The Department of Rural Development, PFRDA, Banking Correspondent Sakhis and other trained community workers.
- What
- A partnership will create Pension Sakhis to provide pension awareness, enrolment assistance and post-enrolment support.
- When
- The timing of the rollout was not specified; the two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding.
- Where
- Across rural India, using networks under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
- Why
- To improve pension literacy, formal retirement coverage, long-term savings and financial resilience among rural households.
- Implementing organisations
- Department of Rural Development and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
- Community network
- The initiative will use the women-led Self Help Group network under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission.
- Pension Sakhi role
- Pension Sakhis will provide doorstep awareness, enrolment assistance and pension-related support.
- Target groups
- Self Help Group members, rural women, Lakhpati Didis and households with limited access to formal retirement and social security systems.
- Products promoted
- The partnership will promote pension products including the National Pension System.
- Monitoring
- Digital dashboards, mobile and web-based tools, the LoKoS platform and unique identifier-based tracking will monitor outreach, enrolments and performance.
