Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana (National Family Benefit Scheme)

What is Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana?

Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana is the Indian name used for the National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), a social-assistance benefit that gives a bereaved Below Poverty Line family a one-time lump sum when its primary breadwinner dies. The scheme is one of the components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), and it is delivered on the ground by state governments through their social welfare, revenue or social justice departments.

According to NSAP, in the event of the death of the bread-winner in a household, the bereaved family receives lump-sum assistance of Rs 20,000. The idea is to give a poor family immediate cash support at the moment it loses the member whose earnings held it together, for funeral costs, debts and the first weeks without an income.

Nature of the benefit

• A one-time grant, not a recurring pension.
• A fixed amount of Rs 20,000 per eligible death.
• Paid to the surviving head of the household.

Who is eligible for the National Family Benefit Scheme?

A family can claim if:

• The household is on the Below Poverty Line list.
• The deceased was the primary breadwinner, the member whose income mainly supported the family.
• The breadwinner was aged between 18 and 64 years at the time of death (natural or accidental).
• The claimant is the surviving next of kin / head of the household.

A family cannot apply if:

• The household is not on the BPL list, the benefit is targeted at families below the poverty line, so above-poverty-line households are not eligible.
• The person who died was not the primary breadwinner but a dependent who did not substantially support the family.
• The deceased breadwinner was outside the 18-to-64 age band as applied under NSAP norms.

Because delivery is by the states, some states apply the scheme under their own names and may vary the exact age band or documentation, so confirm the local rules with your social welfare office.

What documents are required?

How to apply for Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana

1. Obtain the death certificate of the deceased breadwinner from the local municipal or panchayat authority.
2. Visit the designated office, the tehsil/revenue office, block office or social welfare office notified for NFBS/NSAP claims in your state.
3. Fill in the National Family Benefit Scheme application form and attach the death certificate, BPL proof, and your identity and bank details.
4. Submit the claim to the local authority, which verifies the BPL status, the breadwinner status and the age of the deceased.
5. Receive the Rs 20,000 grant, normally by Direct Benefit Transfer into the surviving head of household's bank account after verification.

Some states now accept these applications online through their own e-district or social welfare portals; check your state's portal, but the offline route through the local office remains the standard channel.

Many states also set a time limit within which the claim must be made after the death — often within a fixed number of months or up to a year, so apply promptly and do not wait. If the family's BPL status is disputed or the breadwinner's main-earner status is questioned, the local verifying officer decides on the record before the grant is released.

How Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana fits within NSAP

Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana / the National Family Benefit Scheme is one of five components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). The other four are recurring monthly pensions: the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme for the elderly, the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme, the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme, and the Annapurna Scheme, which provides subsidised foodgrain to uncovered senior citizens.

Within this set, the National Family Benefit Scheme is distinctive because it is the only one-time lump sum. The others pay a fixed amount every month. It is triggered by a single event, the death of the primary breadwinner, rather than by a continuing condition such as old age, widowhood or disability. A family that qualifies for this grant may separately qualify for one of the NSAP pensions, for example a widow pension for the surviving spouse, and these are assessed independently, so receiving the Rs 20,000 does not by itself bar a family from a pension for which it is otherwise eligible.

Because NSAP is a centrally sponsored programme delivered by states, the money and the guidelines flow from the centre while identification, verification and payment are handled at the state and district level. This is why the same benefit appears under different local names and why the exact form, office and timelines differ across states.

Help and where to go

• Administered by: state social welfare / revenue departments under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP).
• Portal: nsap.nic.in for the national framework; your state social welfare department's portal for the local application.
• Local contact: the tehsil, block or district social welfare office handling NSAP benefits.

There is no fee to claim Rashtriya Parivar Sahayata Yojana, and the Rs 20,000 is paid directly to the bereaved family after verification. Because the scheme is run by states under different local names, always confirm the exact procedure and office with your district social welfare office.