The government on Thursday announced many decisions to help the common man.

One of them was to expand the ambit of payment of old age pension to all citizens above 65 years and are living below the poverty line.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved a proposal to modify the eligibility criteria under the National Old Age Pension Scheme.

Earlier, the scheme was applicable only to destitutes above the age of 65 years, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.

He said the scheme would be implemented in light of the announcement made by the Prime Minister in the Independence Day speech.

The scheme, to be launched on the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi on November 19, was estimated to cost Rs 4,300 crore in the current financial year.

Dasmunsi said there were about 1.57 crore people who would benefit from the decision, as per which they would get Rs 400 per month as pension.

In another decision, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs extended the mid-day meal scheme to children in the upper primary stage that is from Classes VI to VIII in government and government-aided schools in 3,479 educationally backward blocks this year.

The ambitious scheme, which was so far limited to primary stage only, would be extended to all areas across the country in the next fiscal, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said, adding this fulfills a promise made in this year's budget.