Top 5 Government Schemes to Save Money in 2026: Check Eligibility, Benefits & How to Apply

In 2026, rising expenses for electricity, cooking gas, medical treatments, and other essentials are burdening families, forcing them to cut into their lifelong savings. The government has come up with different schemes to provide some relief to households by offering

Rising household expenses on electricity, cooking fuel, medical treatment and retirement savings have pushed more families to look at government-backed schemes for relief. Several central government subsidy programmes are currently active and can help households cut recurring costs or build long-term savings. Here is a look at five such schemes, along with their eligibility criteria.

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana

Launched on February 13, 2024, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana offers a central subsidy for installing rooftop solar panels on residential homes. The subsidy works out to Rs. 30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW of capacity and Rs. 18,000 for the third kW, taking the maximum subsidy to Rs. 78,000 for a 3 kW system, which is also the upper cap under the scheme. Households that install rooftop solar under the scheme can also get up to 300 units of free electricity every month, depending on their system capacity and consumption.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 2.0

This provides a deposit-free LPG connection to women from economically weaker households that do not already have an LPG connection. Under Ujjwala 2.0, eligible beneficiaries receive the connection along with a free first refill and a stove at no cost, with the government covering the security deposit, regulator, hose pipe and other charges tied to setting up the connection.

Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, launched in September 2018, is a cashless health insurance scheme that provides eligible families a health cover of up to Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation at empanelled public and private hospitals.

Atal Pension Yojana

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is a government-backed pension scheme meant primarily at workers in the unorganised sector who do not have access to formal retirement benefits. Under the scheme, subscribers contribute a small fixed amount every month, quarter or half-year until the age of 60, in exchange for a guaranteed monthly pension of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 2,000, Rs. 3,000, Rs. 4,000 or Rs. 5,000 thereafter, depending on the amount chosen at the time of enrolment.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY), launched under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, is a small savings scheme meant to help parents build a financial corpus for a girl child's higher education or marriage. The scheme currently offers an interest rate of 8.2 percent per annum, compounded annually, which is higher than the Public Provident Fund and most bank fixed deposits, and the rate is reviewed by the government every quarter