"A fixed beneficiary cap turns eligibility into discretion rather than entitlement." Critically examine this in the context of India's National Social Assistance Programme.

Article 41 directs the State to provide public assistance in old age and disablement. The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) puts this directive into practice. It has been renamed Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana and given ₹53,428 crore for 2026-31, but its three pensions remain capped at 3.09 crore beneficiaries [1]. The statement largely holds, although the cap is not the only cause of exclusion.

How the cap turns entitlement into discretion

• Arbitrary ceiling: Azim Premji University's Realising Rights handbook says the cap reflects neither administrative capacity nor the number of eligible people. As a result, eligibility "does not translate into an entitlement in practice" [1].
• Static targeting: NSAP does not identify beneficiaries through SECC 2011, and experts say the cap ignores India's ageing population [1].
• Not enforceable in court: NSAP is a scheme, not a law, and Article 41 is a non-justiciable DPSP. Rights-based laws such as NFSA 2013 and MGNREGA 2005 guarantee their benefits; NSAP does not.
• Frozen benefit: The Centre still pays ₹200 a month to people aged 60-79 [2]. The Estimates Committee (2014) asked for ₹300, indexed to inflation [3]. The Standing Committee on Rural Development (2020-21) called the ₹200-500 range "inadequate" [4]. Yet the 2026 revision covered only the disability pension [1].

Where the statement overstates

• Fiscal predictability: A fixed five-year budget gives the Centre and the states a known amount to plan around [1].
• Federal top-ups: States add their own money, which takes the average pension to about ₹1,000 a month in most States/UTs [2]. The central amount works as a floor rather than a ceiling.
• Leakage matters as much as the cap: CAG Report No. 10 of 2023 found ineligible people drawing pensions, short- and over-payments, pensions not paid every month and cash payments in some states [5]. Within a capped pool, every wrong name may take an eligible person's place.

Way forward

• Link the cap to an updated count of eligible people.
• Index the pension to inflation [3].
• Hold annual verification and make payments fully through DBT [5].
• Gradually give social pensions a legal basis, as NFSA did for food.

Overall, the cap does turn a constitutional aim into rationed relief, but weak administration and frozen benefit amounts deepen the gap. If coverage follows need, payments are cleaned up and benefits are indexed, NSAP can become a real social-security floor. That would honour Article 41 and SDG 1.3 on social protection for all.