The Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a flagship social security initiative of the Government of India administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), has achieved a historic milestone by surpassing total gross enrolments of 9 crore subscribers as on April 21, 2026.
Record yearly additions
In a further testament to the scheme’s growing outreach and impact, gross enrolments during FY26 have crossed 1.35 crore subscribers, marking the highest-ever additions recorded in a single financial year since the inception of the scheme.
Vision of universal social security
Launched on May 9, 2015, with the objective of creating a universal social security system, APY is a voluntary, contributory pension scheme focused primarily on the poor, the underprivileged, and workers in the unorganised sector.
Decade of strong growth
Over the past decade, the scheme has witnessed significant expansion, driven by sustained efforts of banks, the Department of Posts (DoP), and continued support from the Government of India.
PFRDA drives outreach
PFRDA has played a proactive role in expanding the scheme’s footprint across states and districts through extensive outreach initiatives, capacity-building programmes, multilingual awareness campaigns, media engagement, and regular performance reviews.
Triple benefit framework
APY is designed to provide a ‘Sampurna Suraksha Kavach’ (Complete Security Shield) through a three-fold benefit structure. It offers a guaranteed monthly pension ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 after the subscriber attains 60 years of age; the same pension continues to the spouse after the subscriber’s demise; and the accumulated corpus is returned to the nominee after the death of both.
Eligibility and coverage
The scheme is open to all Indian citizens in the age group of 18 to 40 years, except those who are or have been income tax payers.