The Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) have signed an MoU to create a community-based outreach mechanism for pension awareness and enrolment across rural India, utilizing women-led SHG institutional architecture. The partnership seeks to address a fundamental challenge in pension coverage by leveraging the extensive network of Banking Correspondent (BC) Sakhis, Pension Sakhis, and other trained community resource persons to reach households with limited access to formal financial advice and retirement-planning services.
On September 14, 2026, the Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration aims to create a community-based outreach mechanism across rural India using the extensive network established under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
The initiative seeks to utilize Banking Correspondent (BC) Sakhis and other trained community resource persons to bring pension awareness, financial literacy, enrolment, and post-enrolment support closer to rural households. The partnership particularly focuses on reaching SHG members, rural women, Lakhpati Didis, and other rural participants through Pension Sakhis who will act as trusted community-level facilitators.
Shri Amit Shukla, Joint Secretary DoRD, and Ms. Sumeet Kaur Kapoor, Executive Director, PFRDA signed the MoU. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, emphasized that rural households participating in the SHG movement have distinctive savings patterns, livelihood cycles, and risk profiles. He highlighted the importance of social security as a crucial part of the Mission’s objective of sustainable prosperity and stated that it is not just about protection against vulnerability but also about giving households the confidence and resilience to pursue sustained economic advancement.
The collaboration will strengthen monitoring of outreach and enrolment through digital dashboards, mobile-based solutions, and web-based systems including the Department’s LoKoS system. This will enable participating institutions to track progress and identify gaps in coverage. The MoU brings together two complementary strengths: PFRDA’s expertise in pension regulation and retirement-security systems and DAY-NRLM’s unparalleled community reach through women’s collectives and trained grassroots cadres.
Pension Sakhis will act as trusted community-level facilitators to provide information on pension and retirement planning, facilitate enrolment, and assist with understanding pension-related services. Shri Kansal stressed that pension awareness and financial literacy must be built on honesty, transparency, and trust. He further highlighted the importance of ensuring clear and transparent information so that rural citizens can make informed choices about their long-term financial security.
The partnership seeks to convert this institutional reach into a sustained pension-awareness and enrolment effort across rural India. The initiative marks an important evolution in the role of the Mission’s community cadres—from facilitating access to banking and livelihoods to helping rural households build long-term financial security and resilience.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
