Bridging the Implementation Gap: Awareness, Accessibility and Addressing the Challenges of Pradhan Mantri Social Security

Abstract

The Pradhan Mantri social security schemes (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana - PMJJBY, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana - PMSBY, and Atal Pension Yojana - APY) launched in India a decade ago are still underused, especially in rural areas. This research explores the 3A (Awareness, Accessibility, and Address the challenges) factors among 414 rural respondents from five districts of Karnataka. The data have been collected through a structured questionnaire and interview schedule, through a purposive sampling method. The study uses chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, logistic regression, and structural equation modelling (SEM) to show that 44.44 percentage of respondents are enrolled in APY (44.44%). The major source of awareness is interpersonal sources of information - friends, family and local organisations. Education appeared as the strongest predictor of accessibility (Chi-square = 145.073, p = 0.001), and gender did not significantly influence awareness (t = 0.001, p = 0.999). Unexpectedly, perceived problems did not significantly influence scheme enrolment (p = 0.634), suggesting that upstream awareness and literacy issues, rather than operational issues, are the key barriers to enrolment. The SEM also verified the role of education as a moderator between awareness and perceived benefits. The paper concludes that to close the implementation gap, literacy-tied awareness-raising campaigns, ease of enrolment, and deepening institutional connections with the grassroots are needed. These insights have important implications for the social protection agenda in India and for other developing countries seeking to achieve universal social security coverage under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).