सरकारी योजनाएँ और पहल

हिंदी में पढ़ें

Government Schemes & Initiatives

The Hook: A Bank Account That Changed 50 Crore Lives

In August 2014, a daily-wage worker in rural Uttar Pradesh walked into a bank for the first time in her life. She had no documents except an Aadhaar card, no minimum balance, and no idea what a "zero-balance account" meant. Within 15 minutes, she had a Jan Dhan account — and with it, a direct pipeline to every government benefit she was entitled to. No middleman. No cut. No bribe.

That single scheme — Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched 28 August 2014 — became the backbone of the world's largest Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) architecture. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, the government pushed relief money directly into crores of women's Jan Dhan accounts within days. That is the power of a well-designed scheme — and that is exactly why examiners love this chapter.

🎯 Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

1. Recall the launch year, ministry, and target beneficiary of India's flagship schemes.
2. Distinguish between Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and Central Sector Schemes.
3. Spot the examiner's favourite traps: swapped years, swapped ministries, and "almost-correct" statements.
4. Link schemes to the static GK they rest on (Constitution, banking, health, agriculture).

1. How to Study Schemes: The 5-Point Framework

Never memorise a scheme as a random fact. For every scheme, fix five anchors:

Funding pattern — the most-tested static fact in this chapter:

• Central Sector Scheme: 100% funded by the Union Government (e.g., PM-KISAN).
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS): shared funding — typically 60:40 (Centre:State) for general states, and 90:10 for Himalayan/NE states and UTs with legislature; 100% for UTs without legislature.

⚠️ Note: Some major schemes have their own specific funding patterns and should not be assumed to follow the typical 60:40 ratio. For example, under MGNREGA, the Centre bears 100% of the wage cost of unskilled workers and 75% of the material cost. Similarly, PMAY assistance-sharing varies by component and state category. Learn the general CSS rule first, then memorise the exceptions separately.

🧠 Active Recall: Without looking back — what are the five anchors? What is the CSS funding ratio for a general state like Bihar?

2. Financial Inclusion & Economic Schemes

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) — 2014

• Launched 28 August 2014; Ministry of Finance.
• Zero-balance bank account, RuPay debit card, accident insurance cover, overdraft facility.
• Foundation of the JAM trinity — Jan Dhan + Aadhaar + Mobile — which powers Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) — 2019

• Launched February 2019 (effective retrospectively from December 2018); Ministry of Agriculture.
• ₹6,000 per year to eligible landholding farmer families, in three instalments of ₹2,000, paid via DBT.
• Central Sector Scheme — 100% Centre-funded.

MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) — 2015

• Launched 8 April 2015; loans to micro/small enterprises under three categories:
• Shishu: up to ₹50,000
• Kishore: ₹50,001 to ₹5 lakh
• Tarun: ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh
• *(Note: In the Union Budget 2024, the loan limit was enhanced to ₹20 lakh as "Tarun Plus" for entrepreneurs who repaid earlier loans — verify current limits as of your exam year.)*

Stand-Up India — 2016

• Launched 5 April 2016; bank loans of ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore for SC/ST and women entrepreneurs setting up greenfield enterprises.

🧠 Active Recall: Arrange Shishu–Kishore–Tarun in order with their limits. Which scheme gives ₹6,000/year, and in how many instalments?

🧩 Mnemonic 1 — MUDRA ladder: *"Shishu is a baby (50K), Kishore is a teen (5 Lakh), Tarun is a young adult (10 Lakh)."* The Hindi names themselves tell the story — child → adolescent → youth.

3. Rural Development & Employment

MGNREGA — 2005

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, passed 2005, implemented from 2 February 2006.
• Guarantees 100 days of wage employment per household per year to rural households willing to do unskilled manual work.
• Ministry of Rural Development. Unemployment allowance payable if work is not given within 15 days of demand.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)

• PMAY-Gramin (rural): launched 2016 (restructured from Indira Awaas Yojana); pucca houses with basic amenities for the rural homeless.
• PMAY-Urban: launched 25 June 2015; "Housing for All" mission; Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – NRLM (DAY-NRLM)

• Restructured from Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana in 2011; organises rural poor women into Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

🧠 Active Recall: MGNREGA — Act year vs. implementation year. Why do examiners love this pair? (Because 2005 and 2006 are both "almost correct.")

4. Health & Social Security

Ayushman Bharat — PM-JAY — 2018

• Launched 23 September 2018 from Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• World's largest government-funded health insurance scheme: ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation, covering the bottom ~40% of population.
• Nodal: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA).
• The other pillar: Health and Wellness Centres (now Ayushman Arogya Mandirs).

PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) & PM Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) — 2015

• Both launched 9 May 2015:
• PMJJBY: life insurance, ₹2 lakh cover, ages 18–50.
• PMSBY: accident insurance, ₹2 lakh cover, ages 18–70.
• Atal Pension Yojana (APY), launched the same day: guaranteed pension of ₹1,000–₹5,000/month after age 60, for unorganised-sector workers.

POSHAN Abhiyaan — 2018

• Launched March 2018 from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan; Ministry of Women and Child Development; targets malnutrition, stunting and anaemia.

🧩 Mnemonic 2 — The 9 May 2015 trio: *"Jeevan, Suraksha, Atal — Life, Safety, Old age."* One date, three schemes, three stages of life. If the exam asks "which was NOT launched on 9 May 2015," the odd one out is usually Jan Dhan (2014).

🧠 Active Recall: Ayushman Bharat's insurance cover per family? Which ministry runs PM-JAY — Health or Finance?

5. Sanitation, Water & Environment

Swachh Bharat Mission — 2014

• Launched 2 October 2014 (Gandhi Jayanti); target: eliminate open defecation by 2 October 2019 (150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
• Two arms: SBM-Gramin (Ministry of Jal Shakti) and SBM-Urban (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs).

Jal Jeevan Mission — 2019

• Announced in 2019; goal: Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household by 2024 ("Har Ghar Jal"). Ministry of Jal Shakti.

PM Ujjwala Yojana — 2016

• Launched 1 May 2016 from Ballia, Uttar Pradesh; LPG connections to women of BPL households; Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

🧩 Mnemonic 3 — Launch cities: *"Ujjwala was born in Ballia, Ayushman in Ranchi, POSHAN in Jhunjhunu."* Examiners occasionally ask the launch location — these three are the famous ones.

🧠 Active Recall: Which ministry handles Swachh Bharat (Gramin)? What does FHTC stand for?

6. Digital & Governance Initiatives

• Digital India — launched 1 July 2015; Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY); three pillars: digital infrastructure, governance-on-demand, digital empowerment.
• Make in India — launched 25 September 2014; boost manufacturing; DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce.
• Skill India / PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) — 2015; Ministry of Skill Development.
• Startup India — launched 16 January 2016; tax benefits, easier compliance for recognised startups.
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao — launched 22 January 2015 from Panipat, Haryana; joint initiative of Ministries of WCD, Health, and Education.

🔗 Static–Dynamic Link Box

• Article 41 (DPSP) — "right to work" — is the constitutional soul behind MGNREGA. When a scheme question feels dynamic, ask: which Directive Principle does it serve?
• NABARD (est. 1982, static GK) refinances many rural schemes; SIDBI (est. 1990) anchors MUDRA. Schemes change yearly; their parent institutions are static — revise them together.
• The JAM trinity rests on Aadhaar, whose legal base is the Aadhaar Act, 2016 — a favourite static-dynamic crossover question.

📊 Summary Table: High-Yield Schemes

⚠️ Caution: Examiner's Trap

Trap 1 — Chronological Confusion (कालानुक्रमिक भ्रम): *"MGNREGA was launched in 2005."* The Act was passed in 2005; implementation began in 2006. Both options appear together — read whether the question says "Act passed" or "scheme launched."

Trap 2 — Almost-Correct Statement (लगभग सही कथन): *"PM-KISAN provides ₹6,000 per month to farmers."* Everything is right except one word — it is ₹6,000 per year, in three instalments. Similarly: "Ayushman Bharat gives ₹5 lakh per person" — wrong, it is per family.

Trap 3 — Similar Names / Swapped Ministries (समान नाम): *"Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) is run by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs."* That ministry runs SBM-Urban; SBM-Gramin belongs to the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Also beware: PMJJBY (life) vs. PMSBY (accident) — one word swapped flips the answer.

🔁 Linguistic Bridge: In Hindi We Say This, In English We Say That

📅 Revision Planner

After 2 days (Blurt Test): Close the book. Write from memory: (a) all schemes launched in 2015, (b) the three MUDRA categories with limits, (c) the ministry of each scheme in the summary table. Check against the table — every miss goes on a flashcard.

Weekly (Trap Drill): Re-read only the "Examiner's Trap" box and the summary table's Year and Ministry columns. Write 5 "almost-correct" statements yourself and correct them — this builds the exact muscle the exam tests.

Monthly (Full Blurt): On a blank sheet, draw the 5-anchor framework (When / Who runs / For whom / What / Funding) and fill it for 10 schemes chosen at random. Then update yourself on schemes launched or modified in the current year via official sources (pib.gov.in, ministry websites) — this chapter is dynamic, and your notes must be too.

*Review this chapter after 2 days. The schemes you forget twice are the ones the examiner will ask.*