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Indian Economy

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high importance~2 Q in Tier 16 formulas⚡ 20 shortcuts8 subtopics
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All subtopics·Subtopic 7 of 8

Government schemes and missions

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⏱ 6 min read🧩 7 question types🎯 15 practice Q
The idea in one minute

A scheme question tests four hooks: launch year, ministry, benefit and purpose. Learn each flagship scheme as one line with its number, such as ₹6,000 for PM-KISAN or ₹5 lakh for PM-JAY. The big recent change is VB-G RAM G, which replaced MGNREGA from 1 July 2026 with 125 days of work.

01

How to read a scheme question

Every scheme question asks one of four things: launch year, ministry, benefit or purpose. Learn one line per scheme. News brings new schemes each month, but these flagships appear in every paper.

Tip: Match the number first. ₹6,000 a year means PM-KISAN. ₹5 lakh health cover means PM-JAY. 125 days means VB-G RAM G.

02

Jobs and livelihoods

  • MGNREGA (Act 2005, working from 2006): 100 days of wage work a year per rural household.
  • VB-G RAM G replaced MGNREGA from 1 July 2026, under a 2025 Act. The full name is Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). The guarantee rose to 125 days. Wages are paid weekly, not every 15 days.
  • DAY-NRLM (2011): rural livelihoods through women's self-help groups (SHGs). DAY-NULM (2014) is the urban twin. Both sit under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana.
  • PM SVANidhi (2020): working-capital loans for street vendors.
  • PM Vishwakarma (2023): support for 18 traditional trades.
  • Namo Drone Didi (2023) gives drones to women SHGs. Lakhpati Didi (2023) aims at ₹1 lakh+ yearly income for them.
03

Bank accounts, loans and insurance

SchemeLaunchKey fact
PM Jan Dhan Yojana28 Aug 2014Zero-balance accounts, RuPay card, overdraft
MUDRA Yojana8 Apr 2015Loans without collateral
Atal Pension Yojana2015Pension for unorganised workers aged 18-40
Sukanya Samriddhi2015Savings for the girl child
PMSBY-Accident cover of ₹2 lakh for ₹20 a year
PMJJBY-Life insurance cover

Jan Dhan is the world's largest financial-inclusion drive. PMSBY and PMJJBY are the two Jan Suraksha insurance schemes.

MUDRA loans come in tiers: Shishu up to ₹50,000, Kishor ₹50,000-5 lakh and Tarun ₹5-10 lakh. Tarun Plus goes up to ₹20 lakh since October 2024.

04

Farmers and villages

  • PM-KISAN (February 2019): ₹6,000 a year to landholding farmer families, in three direct transfers. The Agriculture Ministry runs it.
  • PM Fasal Bima Yojana (2016): low-cost crop insurance.
  • e-NAM (2016): one online market linking mandis.
  • Kisan Credit Card (1998): short-term crop loans.
  • PM-KUSUM: solar pumps for farmers.

Example: ₹6,000 in three equal parts is ₹2,000 per instalment.

05

Health, water, housing and fuel

SchemeLaunchKey fact
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY23 Sep 2018₹5 lakh cover per family a year for hospital care
Ayushman Bharat Digital MissionSep 2021Digital health stack; ABHA health ID
Jal Jeevan MissionAug 2019"Har Ghar Jal": tap water to every home
Swachh Bharat Mission2 Oct 2014Toilets; open-defecation-free goal
POSHAN Abhiyaan2018Nutrition, under the WCD Ministry
PM Awas Yojana2015 urban, 2016 ruralPucca houses
PM Ujjwala Yojana1 May 2016Free LPG connections to poor women
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao2015Girl child; launched at Panipat

Since 2024, Vay Vandana extends PM-JAY to everyone aged 70 and above.

06

Industry, skills and energy

  • Make in India (25 September 2014): manufacturing push.
  • Skill India / PMKVY (2015): job skills.
  • Startup India (16 January 2016): DPIIT recognition and tax holidays for startups.
  • UDAN (2016): regional air links.
  • PLI schemes (2020): production-linked incentives in 14 sectors.
  • PM Gati Shakti (October 2021): national infrastructure master plan.
  • PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli (2024): rooftop solar, up to 300 free units a month.
07

Which ministry runs it

MinistrySchemes
Housing and Urban AffairsPMAY-Urban, DAY-NULM, PM SVANidhi
Rural DevelopmentMGNREGA line, DAY-NRLM
Women and Child DevelopmentPOSHAN Abhiyaan
Civil AviationUDAN
Jal ShaktiJal Jeevan Mission

Watch: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao is a joint scheme of three ministries, not one.

08

New in Budget 2026-27

The Budget of 1 February 2026 added these:

  • Biopharma SHAKTI: ₹10,000 crore.
  • SME Growth Fund: ₹10,000 crore.
  • Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund.
  • City Economic Regions.
  • A five-part textile programme, including Samarth 2.0.
  • Rare Earth corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
09

Question types you will see

Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.

Type 1very common3 practice Q

Scheme, ministry and launch year

How to spot it:

'X was launched in which year', 'which ministry runs X', or a list of schemes with 2014-2021 dates.

Method

  1. Fix the year first: SBM and Jan Dhan 2014, MUDRA 2015, Startup India 2016.

  2. Then JJM and PM-KISAN 2019, Gati Shakti 2021.

  3. Get the ministry from the subject: urban schemes are MoHUA, rural jobs are Rural Development.

  4. POSHAN is WCD. UDAN is Civil Aviation.

Why it works:

The year narrows the options. The subject gives the ministry.

Try this

In which year was Startup India launched?

Show solution

  1. Startup India gives DPIIT recognition and tax holidays.

  2. It came after Make in India (2014).

  3. It was launched on 16 January 2016.

Answer

2016 (16 January)

Type 2very common3 practice Q

Scheme and its benefit

How to spot it:

A rupee amount, an age band or a cover figure is given. The scheme is asked.

Method

  1. Spot the number in the question.

  2. ₹6,000 a year: PM-KISAN. ₹5 lakh per family: PM-JAY.

  3. Ages 18-40: Atal Pension Yojana.

  4. ₹20 a year for accident cover: PMSBY.

Why it works:

Each flagship has one signature number.

Try this

Under which scheme do landholding farmer families get ₹6,000 a year?

Show solution

  1. ₹6,000 is the signature number.

  2. It is paid in three instalments by direct transfer.

  3. The scheme started in 2019.

Answer

PM-KISAN

Type 3common2 practice Q

Employment and livelihood schemes

How to spot it:

'How many days of work does X guarantee', 'which scheme replaced MGNREGA', or SHG and street-vendor schemes.

Method

  1. MGNREGA gave 100 days (Act 2005).

  2. VB-G RAM G replaced it from 1 July 2026 with 125 days and weekly wages.

  3. DAY-NRLM (2011) works through women's SHGs. DAY-NULM (2014) is urban.

  4. PM SVANidhi (2020) is for street vendors.

Why it works:

The job-guarantee change is the newest and most asked fact.

Try this

Which scheme replaced MGNREGA from 1 July 2026?

Show solution

  1. It came from a 2025 Act.

  2. It raised the guarantee to 125 days a year.

  3. Wages are now paid weekly.

Answer

VB-G RAM G

Type 4common3 practice Q

Financial inclusion schemes

How to spot it:

'Zero-balance accounts under', 'Shishu, Kishor and Tarun belong to', or 'accident cover for ₹20 a year'.

Method

  1. Jan Dhan (28 August 2014): accounts, RuPay card, overdraft.

  2. MUDRA (8 April 2015): Shishu up to ₹50,000, Kishor to ₹5 lakh, Tarun to ₹10 lakh.

  3. Tarun Plus goes up to ₹20 lakh (October 2024).

  4. APY is pension. PMSBY is accident cover. PMJJBY is life cover.

Why it works:

Each scheme covers one money need: account, loan, pension or insurance.

Try this

The loan categories Shishu, Kishor and Tarun belong to which scheme?

Show solution

  1. These are loan sizes for small businesses.

  2. The loans need no collateral.

  3. They come under the 2015 scheme for micro units.

Answer

Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana

Type 5very common3 practice Q

Health, water, housing and fuel schemes

How to spot it:

'Har Ghar Jal belongs to', 'the free LPG scheme is', or '₹5 lakh hospital cover'.

Method

  1. Health: PM-JAY (2018), ₹5 lakh per family. ABDM (2021) gives ABHA IDs.

  2. Water: JJM (2019). Sanitation: SBM (2 October 2014).

  3. Housing: PMAY (2015 urban, 2016 rural).

  4. Fuel: Ujjwala (1 May 2016), LPG for poor women.

Why it works:

Each need maps to one mission.

Try this

'Har Ghar Jal', a tap connection for every rural home, is the goal of which mission?

Show solution

  1. The need is drinking water at home.

  2. The mission began in August 2019.

  3. The Jal Shakti ministry runs it.

Answer

Jal Jeevan Mission

Type 6common

Industry, skills and energy schemes

How to spot it:

'Make in India was launched on', 'PLI schemes cover how many sectors', 'Gati Shakti is', or 'rooftop solar scheme'.

Method

  1. Make in India: 25 September 2014.

  2. Skill India / PMKVY: 2015. UDAN: 2016.

  3. PLI (2020) covers 14 sectors. Gati Shakti (October 2021) is the infrastructure master plan.

  4. PM Surya Ghar (2024): rooftop solar, up to 300 free units a month.

Why it works:

These schemes are asked with one number or one purpose.

Try this

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes of 2020 cover how many sectors?

Show solution

  1. PLI pays incentives for extra production.

  2. It was launched in 2020.

  3. It covers 14 sectors.

Answer

14

Type 7common

Farm and rural schemes

How to spot it:

'Kisan Credit Card was introduced in', 'e-NAM is', or 'PM-KUSUM provides'.

Method

  1. PM-KISAN (2019): ₹6,000 a year.

  2. Fasal Bima (2016): crop insurance. e-NAM (2016): online mandi.

  3. KCC (1998): short-term crop loans.

  4. PM-KUSUM: solar pumps.

Why it works:

Farm schemes differ by one purpose: cash, insurance, market, credit or power.

Try this

e-NAM, launched in 2016, is best described as what?

Show solution

  1. NAM stands for National Agriculture Market.

  2. The 'e' means it is online.

  3. It links mandis on one platform.

Answer

A unified online market for farm produce

10

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Launch-year clusters

2014: Jan Dhan, Make in India, Swachh Bharat. 2015: BBBP, APY, MUDRA, PMAY. 2016: Ujjwala, Startup India. 2018: Ayushman. 2019: PM-KISAN. 2020: SVANidhi, PLI. 2023: Vishwakarma, Drone Didi. 2024: Surya Ghar. 2026: VB-G RAM G.

Example

Which scheme gives ₹6,000 a year to farmers?

Show solution

  1. ₹6,000 is the PM-KISAN number.

  2. It started in 2019.

  3. The Agriculture Ministry runs it.

Answer

PM-KISAN

⚡ MGNREGA to RAM G swap

100 days became 125. Wages every 15 days became weekly. Act of 2025, in force from 1 July 2026.

Example

From when does VB-G RAM G apply?

Show solution

  1. It was passed as an Act in 2025.

  2. It replaced MGNREGA.

  3. It came into force in mid-2026.

Answer

1 July 2026

⚡ MUDRA ladder

Shishu up to ₹50,000. Kishor ₹50,000-5 lakh. Tarun ₹5-10 lakh. Tarun Plus up to ₹20 lakh. The names go from child to young adult.

Example

A MUDRA loan of ₹3 lakh falls in which tier?

Show solution

  1. Shishu ends at ₹50,000.

  2. Kishor covers ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh.

  3. ₹3 lakh lies in that range.

Answer

Kishor

11

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Naming one ministry for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.

BBBP is a joint scheme of three ministries.

Mistake 02

Stopping MUDRA at ₹10 lakh.

Tarun Plus goes up to ₹20 lakh since October 2024.

Mistake 03

Saying MGNREGA still gives 100 days.

VB-G RAM G replaced it from 1 July 2026, with 125 days.

Mistake 04

Mixing up PMSBY and PMJJBY.

PMSBY is accident cover (₹20 a year). PMJJBY is life cover.

Mistake 05

Giving PM-JAY cover per person.

PM-JAY gives ₹5 lakh per family a year.

Mistake 06

Putting Jal Jeevan Mission under Swachh Bharat.

JJM (2019) is tap water. SBM (2014) is sanitation.

12

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

  • VB-G RAM G (1 July 2026): 125 days, weekly wages; replaced MGNREGA (100 days).

  • Jan Dhan 28-8-2014. MUDRA 8-4-2015: Shishu, Kishor, Tarun, Tarun Plus (₹20 lakh).

  • APY: ages 18-40. PMSBY: ₹2 lakh accident cover for ₹20 a year. PMJJBY: life cover.

  • PM-KISAN (2019): ₹6,000 a year in 3 instalments. Fasal Bima 2016. e-NAM 2016. KCC 1998.

  • PM-JAY (2018): ₹5 lakh per family; Vay Vandana covers all 70+.

  • JJM 2019. SBM 2-10-2014. Ujjwala 1-5-2016. PMAY 2015 urban, 2016 rural.

  • Make in India 25-9-2014. Startup India 16-1-2016. PLI 2020 (14 sectors). Gati Shakti 2021.

  • Vishwakarma 2023 (18 trades). Surya Ghar 2024 (300 free units a month).

13

Practice: 15 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 10 questions

Suggested time 4 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.

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