Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), formerly known as the National Action Plan for Senior Citizens, is India's umbrella scheme for elderly welfare under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It consolidates multiple sub-schemes including IGNOAPS, IGNDPS, Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana, and Senior Care Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE). The scheme focuses on financial security, healthcare, shelter, and skill development for senior citizens, targeting those above 60 years, with special attention to BPL elderly populations.

AVYAY represents India's policy response to a demographic challenge: the elderly population (60+) is projected to reach 347 million by 2050, creating massive demand for integrated care systems. The scheme was restructured under a single umbrella to improve convergence and eliminate duplication across earlier fragmented schemes.

Key sub-components carry distinct exam-testable features. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) provides ₹200/month for those aged 60-79 and ₹500/month for those 80+ from BPL households. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana provides physical aids and assisted-living devices to senior citizens from BPL categories, implemented through ALIMCO (Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India). The SAGE (Senior Care Ageing Growth Engine) portal, launched in 2021, acts as a 'one-stop shop' connecting elderly citizens to verified start-up products and services.

The scheme sits at the intersection of social security, financial inclusion, and health policy — making it relevant across UPSC (governance and welfare delivery), NABARD (rural elderly and BPL targeting), and RBI (financial security as a financial inclusion angle). The implementing ministry — Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment — is a recurring anchor in MCQs. Examiners routinely test whether aspirants can distinguish between sub-scheme parameters: pension amounts, age thresholds, and implementing agencies.