🏠 Overview
India runs a very large number of central and state welfare schemes targeting food security, employment, housing, health, education and financial inclusion. This topic is tested heavily and frequently updated in current affairs; the list below groups the major, exam-relevant flagship central schemes by sector as durable reference points — always cross-check latest scheme names/coverage against current affairs closer to the exam.
🍞 Food Security & Nutrition
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 — legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrain through the Public Distribution System (PDS), covering up to 75% rural/50% urban population.
- PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) — free additional foodgrain, launched during COVID-19 and periodically extended.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan / Saksham Anganwadi — nutrition mission targeting stunting, wasting, anaemia and low birth weight through Anganwadi services.
- PM POSHAN (erstwhile Mid-Day Meal Scheme) — hot cooked meals for school children.
💼 Employment & Livelihoods
- MGNREGA — legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment per rural household per year, India's largest employment guarantee scheme.
- PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) and PM Vishwakarma — support for artisans, traditional craftspeople and micro-enterprises.
- Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural/Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM/NULM) — self-help group-based livelihood promotion.
- PM Mudra Yojana — collateral-free loans to micro/small enterprises.
🏠 Housing & Infrastructure
- PM Awas Yojana (Gramin & Urban) — "Housing for All," financial assistance for pucca house construction.
- Jal Jeevan Mission — functional tap water connection to every rural household.
- Swachh Bharat Mission — sanitation coverage and behaviour change (open-defecation-free status, solid/liquid waste management).
- Saubhagya & PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana — electrification and rooftop solar subsidy for households.
🏥 Health
- Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) — health insurance cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary/tertiary hospitalisation.
- Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centres (now Ayushman Arogya Mandirs) — primary healthcare delivery network.
- PM Matru Vandana Yojana — maternity benefit/cash transfer scheme.
💳 Financial Inclusion & Social Security
- PM Jan Dhan Yojana — universal access to bank accounts, the foundation of the JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) trinity for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
- PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana & PM Suraksha Bima Yojana — low-premium life and accident insurance.
- Atal Pension Yojana — pension scheme for the unorganised sector.
🎯 Exam Angle
Prelims frequently tests the launch year, nodal ministry, and specific entitlement figures of these schemes — always verify current figures against the latest Economic Survey/Budget, as coverage and benefit amounts are revised periodically. Mains rewards evaluating schemes on implementation challenges (targeting errors, leakages, last-mile delivery) rather than simply listing scheme names.
Related topics
