Regarding ‘Atal Pension Yojana’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganised sector workers.

2. Only one member of a family can join the scheme.

3. Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber’s death.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct answer is 1 and 3 only.

Let us analyze each statement carefully in the context of the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a flagship social security scheme launched by the Government of India in May 2015 under the National Pension System (NPS) framework, administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Statement 1: "It is a minimum guaranteed pension scheme mainly targeted at unorganised sector workers."
This statement is correct. The Atal Pension Yojana was specifically designed to provide a minimum guaranteed pension of ₹1,000, ₹2,000, ₹3,000, ₹4,000, or ₹5,000 per month to subscribers upon reaching the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions. The scheme is primarily aimed at workers in the unorganised sector — such as domestic workers, drivers, gardeners, construction workers, and other daily-wage earners — who typically lack access to formal pension or retirement benefits. The government also provided a co-contribution (50% of the subscriber's contribution or ₹1,000 per year, whichever is lower) for eligible subscribers for a period of 5 years. Thus, the twin features of a "minimum guarantee" and the "unorganised sector" focus make Statement 1 accurate.

Statement 2: "Only one member of a family can join the scheme."
This statement is incorrect. Under APY, both spouses in a family can independently open and maintain their own separate APY accounts. There is no restriction that limits enrollment to only one member per family. Each eligible individual (Indian citizen, aged 18–40 years, with a savings bank account) can join. Therefore, a husband and wife can each subscribe to APY individually and receive their respective guaranteed pensions. This makes Statement 2 false.

Statement 3: "Same amount of pension is guaranteed for the spouse for life after subscriber's death."
This statement is correct. APY has a robust spousal benefit built into the scheme. In the event of the death of the subscriber (after the age of 60), the same amount of monthly pension that was being received by the subscriber is guaranteed to the spouse (the default nominee) for the remainder of their life. This is a key protective feature of the scheme. For example, if the subscriber was receiving ₹5,000 per month, the spouse will continue to receive ₹5,000 per month for life. Only after the death of both the subscriber and the spouse is the accumulated pension corpus returned to the nominated beneficiary (e.g., a child). This clearly validates Statement 3 as correct.

Conclusion:
Since Statement 1 (minimum guaranteed pension for unorganised sector) and Statement 3 (same pension for spouse after subscriber's death) are both correct, while Statement 2 (only one family member can join) is incorrect, the right answer is 1 and 3 only.