New Delhi: The Centre’s policies aim to better equip middle-income families to face the future with confidence, an official statement said, highlighting the policy attention this segment will receive over the next four years.
The statement, marking the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s completion of the first year of its third term in office, also noted that 2.3 million central government employees will benefit from the new unified pension scheme (UPS) launched in April this year, which is a hybrid of contributory and assured models.
The statement titled, ‘the middle class story,’ speaking about various measures implemented so far by the NDA government in taxation, pension, inflation reduction and connectivity, said this segment of the population plays a vital role in India’s growth story.
UPS, which assures an employee a pension of 50% of the average basic pay drawn in the last one year before retirement, is open to those with at least 25 years of experience.
For those with shorter service tenure, pension will be computed proportionately, with a minimum qualifying period of 10 years. They will get a minimum assured pension of ₹10,000 a month on retirement. If an employee passes away, then his family will receive 60% of the assured pension, the statement clarified.
It is expected to benefit around 2.3 million central government employees, the statement said, adding that several state governments have also adopted this model, extending its coverage to over nine million individuals currently under the National Pension System.
The statement also said the income tax relief announced in the Union budget for FY26 will benefit crores of salaried citizens.
The budget had announced that individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh annually will now pay no income tax, except on special incomes like capital gains.
With the standard deduction of ₹75,000, even those earning ₹12.75 lakh will pay no tax, the statement said. “It shows a deep understanding of middle-class needs and comes despite the government giving up nearly ₹1 lakh crore in revenue,” the statement said.
On the smart cities mission, the government said the plan, rolled out in 2015, saw 93% of the 7,545 approved projects completed by 2025, with a total investment of over ₹1.51 trillion.