GS Paper 2 & 3 · Governance & Welfare · UPSC Civil Services
Government Schemes
Every major central welfare and development scheme, sorted by sector — launch year, ministry, and exactly what it delivers.
Browse by sector →
Agriculture
Social Welfare
Health
Education
Infrastructure
Finance
Agriculture employs ~46% of India's workforce and anchors welfare policy; social, health and education schemes build human capital; infrastructure and financial-inclusion schemes underpin the wider economy. Together these programmes are a recurring source of Prelims facts and GS-2/GS-3 Mains questions on governance and welfare delivery.
Agriculture
Agriculture employs ~46% of India's workforce. Multiple schemes target farm income, crop insurance, irrigation, soil health, and farmer welfare.
| Scheme | Launch | Ministry | Key provisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) | Feb 2019 | Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | ₹6,000/year (3 instalments of ₹2,000) direct income support to all landholding farmers; covers ~11 crore farmers; direct bank transfer IMP |
| PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) | 2016 | Agriculture | Crop insurance at uniform premium: 2% (Kharif), 1.5% (Rabi), 5% (commercial/horticulture); government pays remainder; covers all stages of crop cycle |
| Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) | 2015 | Jal Shakti / Agriculture | "Har Khet Ko Pani" (water to every field); "More Crop Per Drop"; drip & sprinkler irrigation; AIBP merged into it |
| Soil Health Card Scheme | 2015 | Agriculture | Soil tested every 2 years; 12 parameters; customised fertiliser recommendations; 23 crore+ cards issued |
| e-NAM (National Agriculture Market) | 2016 | Agriculture | Online trading platform for agricultural commodities; connects APMC mandis; transparent price discovery; 1,000+ mandis connected |
| PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana | 2019 | Agriculture | Pension scheme for farmers 18–40 years; ₹3,000/month pension at 60 years; farmer pays ₹55–200/month matched by govt. |
| Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) | 2015 | Agriculture | Promotes organic farming; cluster approach; ₹50,000/ha support over 3 years; farmer group formation |
| MIDH (Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture) | 2014 | Agriculture | Holistic horticulture development; cluster-based; cold storage, processing, marketing support |
| Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund | 2020 | Animal Husbandry | ₹15,000 crore; incentivise private investment in dairy & meat processing; 3% interest subvention |
| National Beekeeping & Honey Mission | 2020 | Agriculture | Sweet Revolution; 2-year mission; promotes scientific beekeeping; income supplementation for farmers |
Sources: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare · PIB · Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare
Health
India spends ~2.1% of GDP on health (public). National Health Policy 2017 targets 2.5% by 2025. Several flagship schemes aim to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
| Scheme | Launch | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY | 2018 | World's largest government-funded health insurance; ₹5 lakh/family/year; covers 10.74 crore poorest families (~50 crore people); cashless & paperless; 1,929 procedures covered IMP |
| Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centres (HWC) | 2018 | Upgrade 1.5 lakh Sub-Health Centres & PHCs; comprehensive primary care; free medicines & diagnostics; now renamed Ayushman Arogya Mandirs |
| National Health Mission (NHM) | 2013 (NHM = NRHM + NUHM) | Umbrella programme: NRHM (2005, rural) + NUHM (2013, urban); ASHA workers (11.7 lakh); Janani Suraksha Yojana; Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram |
| Mission Indradhanush | 2014 | Full immunisation of all children <2 years and pregnant women; 12 vaccines; 92% full immunisation coverage target |
| Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJK) | 2015 (revamped) | 7,500+ Janaushadhi Kendras; generic medicines 50–90% cheaper; 2,000+ medicines, 300 surgical items |
| Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) | 2021 | Unique Health ID (ABHA — 14-digit); digital health records; unified health interface |
| National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) | TB elimination by 2025 (5 years ahead of SDG) | Nikshay Poshan Yojana (₹500/month nutritional support); Ni-kshay portal; 99 DOTS tracking |
| National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) | Phase I: 1992; Phase V ongoing | NACO implementation; HIV testing, ART, PPTCT; 90-90-90 strategy |
| PM Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) | 2003 | Improve tertiary healthcare; establish AIIMS in underserved states; 22 AIIMS approved |
Sources: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare · NHA (National Health Authority) · PIB · NITI Aayog
Education & Skill
National Education Policy 2020 is the most comprehensive reform since 1986. Multiple skill development schemes aim to make India the "Skill Capital of the World."
| Scheme | Launch | Ministry | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samagra Shiksha | 2018 | Education | Merged SSA + RMSA + TE; pre-school to Class 12 continuum; RTE implementation; smart classrooms |
| PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) | 2022 | Education | Upgrade 14,500+ Kendriya Vidyalayas & Navodaya schools; NEP 2020 implementation labs |
| National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 | 2020 | Education | 5+3+3+4 structure (replaces 10+2); mother tongue till Grade 5; multidisciplinary HE; Academic Bank of Credits; NRF IMP |
| PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) | 2015 | Skill Development & Entrepreneurship | Short-term skill training; RPL; 1.37 crore trained under PMKVY 1.0–3.0; PMKVY 4.0 (2023) focuses on Industry 4.0 |
| National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) | 2016 | Skill Development | 25% of stipend reimbursed to employer (max ₹1,500/month); targets 50 lakh apprentices |
| Scholarship for Higher Education (Central Sector) | — | Education | CSSS — merit-based; National Scholarship Portal; ST, SC, OBC, Minority scholarships |
| SWAYAM | 2017 | Education | Free online courses by IITs, IIMs, central universities; 1.74 crore enrollments; credit transfer possible |
| DIKSHA | 2017 | Education | National teachers' platform; e-textbooks, e-content; 150 crore+ learning sessions |
| Startup India | Jan 2016 | DPIIT (Commerce) | Tax exemption for 3 years; 80% rebate on patent filing; Fund of Funds (₹10,000 crore); 99,000+ DPIIT-recognised startups (2023) |
Sources: Ministry of Education · Ministry of Skill Development · PIB · NITI Aayog
Infrastructure
Infrastructure investment is the cornerstone of India's economic strategy. The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) envisages ₹111 lakh crore investment over 2020–25.
| Scheme / programme | Launch | Ministry | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan | Oct 2021 | Commerce & Industry (DPIIT) | GIS-based integrated infrastructure planning portal; aligns 16 ministries; multimodal connectivity IMP |
| Bharatmala Pariyojana | 2017 | Road Transport | 34,800 km national highway corridors; economic corridors, ring roads, coastal roads; Phase I: ₹5.35 lakh crore |
| Sagarmala Programme | 2015 | Ports, Shipping & Waterways | Port-led development; port modernisation, connectivity, coastal shipping; 600+ projects |
| UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) | 2016 | Civil Aviation | Regional air connectivity; tickets at ₹2,500 (1 hour); 500+ routes; 70+ underserved airports operationalised |
| National Solar Mission / PM Surya Ghar | NSM 2010; PM Surya Ghar 2024 | MNRE | NSM: 100 GW solar by 2022 (now 280 GW by 2030); PM Surya Ghar: rooftop solar for 1 crore households; ₹75,000 subsidy |
| BharatNet | 2011 (NOFN; renamed 2015) | DoT / C-DoT | Optical fibre to all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats; 100 Mbps broadband; ₹61,109 crore outlay |
| Digital India | July 2015 | Electronics & IT | Three pillars: Digital Infrastructure, Governance on demand, Digital Empowerment; Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, DigiYatra, GeM portal |
| Smart Cities Mission | 2015 | Housing & Urban Affairs | 100 smart cities selected via challenge; ICT-enabled governance; integrated command & control centres |
| AMRUT 2.0 | AMRUT 2015; 2.0 in 2021 | Housing & Urban Affairs | 500 cities; water supply, sewerage, storm water drains; 2.0 adds peri-urban areas |
| PM Awas Yojana 2.0 | 2024 | Housing | 3 crore additional rural & urban houses; ₹2.30 lakh crore outlay; continues PMAY mission |
Sources: Ministry of Road Transport · Ministry of Ports · NITI Aayog · PIB
Financial Inclusion
Financial inclusion schemes brought 50 crore+ unbanked Indians into the formal financial system. India Stack (Aadhaar + UPI + DigiLocker) is now a global model.
| Scheme | Launch | Ministry / Regulator | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) | Aug 2014 | Finance / DFS | Zero-balance bank accounts; 53 crore+ accounts opened; ₹10,000 overdraft; RuPay debit card; life & accident insurance ₹2 lakh each IMP |
| PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) | 2015 | Finance / DFS | Life insurance; ₹2 lakh on death from any cause; annual premium ₹436; ages 18–55 |
| PM Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) | 2015 | Finance / DFS | Accident insurance; ₹2 lakh on accidental death/total disability; annual premium ₹20 |
| Atal Pension Yojana (APY) | 2015 | PFRDA | Pension for unorganised sector workers; ages 18–40; guaranteed pension ₹1,000–5,000/month at 60 |
| MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) | April 2015 | Finance (MUDRA) | Loans to non-corporate micro-enterprises: Shishu (≤₹50K), Kishore (₹50K–5L), Tarun (₹5L–10L); no collateral; 40 crore+ loans disbursed |
| Stand-Up India | 2016 | Finance / SIDBI | Bank loans (₹10 lakh–₹1 crore) to at least one SC/ST and one woman borrower per branch; greenfield enterprises |
| UPI (Unified Payments Interface) | 2016 | NPCI / RBI | Real-time mobile payment; bank-to-bank; 10+ billion transactions/month (2024); QR code based IMP |
| PM Vishwakarma Yojana | Sept 2023 | MSME | Support for 18 traditional crafts; ₹1 lakh credit at 5% + ₹2 lakh second tranche; skill training |
| PM SVANidhi | 2020 (COVID relief) | Housing & Urban Affairs | Collateral-free working capital loans to street vendors: ₹10K → ₹20K → ₹50K on repayment; 57 lakh+ loans |
| National Pension System (NPS) | 2004 (Govt. employees); 2009 (All citizens) | PFRDA | Defined contribution pension; market-linked returns; mandatory for Govt. employees; voluntary for others |
Sources: Ministry of Finance · NPCI · RBI · PIB · NITI Aayog Annual Reports