Under the Atal Pension Yojana, the age of the subscriber at the time of joining should be between:

The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is a pension scheme of the Government of India for citizens, especially workers in the unorganised sector, such as small traders, drivers, domestic workers and labourers, who do not have any formal pension coverage. It was announced in the Union Budget of 2015-16 and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 in Kolkata, along with the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). It replaced the earlier Swavalamban Yojana (NPS Lite).

Key features of the APY:

Any Indian citizen aged between 18 and 40 years with a savings bank account can join.

The subscriber pays a monthly, quarterly or half-yearly contribution until the age of 60. The amount depends on the age of joining and the pension chosen; the earlier one joins, the lower the contribution.

After the age of 60, the subscriber receives a guaranteed minimum monthly pension of ₹1,000, ₹2,000, ₹3,000, ₹4,000 or ₹5,000, as chosen.

After the subscriber's death, the same pension is paid to the spouse. After the death of both, the accumulated pension wealth is returned to the nominee.

Contributions are auto-debited from the subscriber's bank account.

The scheme is administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) through the National Pension System (NPS) architecture.

Since 1 October 2022, people who are income tax payers are not eligible to join the APY.

For workers in the unorganised sector, the government also launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM) in 2019, a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for workers aged 18-40 with a monthly income up to ₹15,000, offering ₹3,000 a month after age 60.

Why not the other options?

• ✗18 and 50 years is the age range for PMJJBY (life insurance).
• ✗21 and 45 years and 25 and 60 years are incorrect.