Welfare schemes for weaker and marginalized sections

Sol – 

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by the Government of India in January 2018.   

Aim –  To improve the living standards of citizens and ensure inclusive growth in 117 identified districts across 28 States/UTs

Progress made – 

  • Health and Nutrition – Up to 45% improvement in health indicators in 46 districts.
    • Up to 69% improvement in critical maternal health indicators in 23 districts, such as antenatal care, supplementary nutrition for pregnant women, and anemia detection and treatment
  • Education – Up to 34% improvement in 46 districts.
    • Improvement in Pupil-Teacher Ratio, availability of functional drinking water, and girls’ toilets in schools.
  • Financial Inclusion – 
    • Increased access to bank accounts.
    • Higher coverage under government insurance schemes.
    • Greater access to MUDRA loans.
  • Saturation in Basic Infrastructure:
    • High percentages of households with individual washrooms 
    • Access to all-weather roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
    • High percentages of households with electricity connections

Sol – 

  • To provide end-to-end holistic support to the traditional artisans and craftspeople 
  • To nurture the Guru-Shishya parampara, or family-based practice of traditional skills
  • Launched – 17th September, 2023 
  • Type: Central Sector Scheme. 
  • Duration: FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28. 
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises 
  • Registration: Free of charge through Common Services Centres using a biometric-based PM Vishwakarma Portal 
  • A toolkit incentive of up to Rs. 15,000
  • Skill upgradation – Basic Training of 5-7 days and Advanced Training of 15 days or more, with a stipend of Rs. 500 per day 
  • Cheap credit 
    • Up to 2 Lakh 
    • Interest subvention and collateral fees by the government 
  • Objectives (3D) – 
    • Dignity – Recognition of artisans and craftspeople as Vishwakarmas 
    • Digital – Digital empowerment of Vishwakarmas 
    • Democratization – To provide a platform for brand promotion and market linkages to small artisans 
  • 18 Trades covered
    • Barber, Goldsmith, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Cobbler, Mason, tailor Etc 

Sol – 

Introduced in the Union budget 2024-25 to benefit 4.1 crore youth over five years with a central outlay of ₹2 lakh crore to promote employment and skilling

1. Scheme A – 

  • Objective: Financial assistance to first-time employees.
  • Eligibility: First-time workforce entrants registered under EPFO.
  • Benefit:
    • One-month salary (up to ₹15,000) in three instalments
    • Applicable to employees with a monthly salary up to ₹1 lakh
  • Target: To benefit 2.1 crore youth entering the workforce.

2. Scheme B –

  • Objective: To boost employment in manufacturing
  • Incentive Mechanism
    • Incentive to both employee and employer.
    • Linked to EPFO contributions for the first four years of employment
  • Focus Sector: Manufacturing

3. Scheme C – 

  • Objective: Financial relief to employers for hiring more workers
  • Benefit –
    • Government to reimburse up to ₹3,000 per month towards the EPFO contribution of employers for each additional employe
    • Duration: Two years
  • Applies to each additional employee hired
  • Expected Impact: Benefit 30 lakh youth across all sectors

4. New Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Skilling

  • Objective: Mass skilling and ITI infrastructure upgrade
  • Key Features
    • 20 lakh youth to be skilled over five years.
    • 1,000 ITIs to be upgraded using hub and spoke model
  • Expected Outcome: Boost skilled human capital and quality employment generation

5. Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme 

  • Objective: Provide real-world exposure and improve employability
  • Scope –
    • Internship in 500 top companies
    • Target: 1 crore youth over five years
  • Incentives –
    • Internship allowance: ₹5,000/month
    • One-time assistance: ₹6,000
  • Duration: 12 months of internship
  • Purpose: Bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry needs

Sol – 

  1. Tim Tim Tare initiative
    • Started in 2009 in Tamil Nadu
    • Currently reaches more than 10 crore students (Expanded to Central india and Gujarat) through Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Kasturba Vidyalayas, juvenile homes, YouTube, and WhatsApp groups etc 
    • To impart essential life skills to adolescent students across India
    • Unlike vocational training, which focuses on technical skills, TTT places emphasis on soft skills
      1. Effective communication, emotional intelligence, and social well-being
    • 16 core skills like empathy, critical thinking, etiquette, time management
    • Activity-based learning, such as experience sharing, role plays, sing-along songs and interactive games
    • Built on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Life Skills Framework
    • Feedback from students, teachers, principals, and parents is collected 
    • Officially approved by The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)
  2. Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme
    • Designed during Covid-19 to reduce students’ reliance on internet resources for their learning,
    • To bridge the education gap brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the digital divide
    • The scheme’s volunteers work year-round to integrate out-of- school children into mainstream education, with particular attention to girls, Children with special needs (CwSN), transgender children, and those from migrant worker families
    • These volunteers conducted door-to- door efforts to educate the students
  1. MISHTI Scheme
    • Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes
    • Introduced in the Union Budget for 2023-24
    • Mangroves advantages – 
      1. High biological productivity
      2. High carbon sequestration capabilities
      3. Serve as a protective barrier for coastlines against cyclones, typhoons, and tidal waves
    • MISTHI aims to promote and conserve mangroves through reforestation and afforestation measures
    • The programme will cover approximately 540 square kilometres across nine coastal states and four UTs over five years (2023-2028)
    • Carbon sink of 4.5 million tons of carbon
    • Funding – Funding from the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), National CAMPA, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other sources

Sol – 

Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)

  1. Formalisation of Enterprises
    • 63% of the formalised enterprises are women-owned.
  2. Marketing Support
    • Full subsidy for women’s participation in trade fairs.
  3. PM Employment Guarantee Programme (PMEGP)
    • 41% of loans in FY24 sanctioned to women.
  4. Procurement Policy
    • 3% of procurement by CPSEs is reserved for women-owned enterprises.
  5. Skill Development
    • Over 21,600 women trained in coir manufacturing in 5 years.
    • Free entrepreneurial training offered.
  6. ZED (Zero Defect Zero Effect) Certification
    • 100% subsidy for women-owned MSMEs.
  7. SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion)
    • 32,262 women (67% of total beneficiaries) trained in entrepreneurship from 2021–2024.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT):

  1. 10% of the “Fund of Funds for Startups” is reserved for women
  2. Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)
    • Launched in 2018 to aggregate policies and showcase women-led startups

Ministry of Food Processing Industries:

  1. PM Micro Food Processing Scheme
    • SHG members receive ₹40,000 seed capital
    • 50% grants for branding and marketing

Ministry of Tribal Affairs – 

  1. Adivasi Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana – Loans up to ₹2 lakh at 4% interest for Scheduled Tribe (ST) women

Ministry of Cooperation – 

  1. Nandini Sahakar Swayam Shakti Scheme – 2% interest subvention for innovative cooperative projects run by women SHGs
  2. Working Capital Loan to Sahakar Yojna – Financial assistance for women Self Help Groups (SHGs) 

Other schemes – 

  • Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) – Special focus on women-led micro-enterprises
  • Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) – Promotes rural women-led enterprises
  • Yashasvini Campaigns – Mass awareness and motivation programs for women entrepreneurship.

Sol – 

  1. Lado Protsahan Yojana
    • Launched on 1 August, 2024
    • It aims to prevent gender discrimination, improve education and health, reduce maternal and child mortality and combat child marriage
    • Financial assistance of ₹1.5 lakh is provided in seven instalments, with six payments made to the parent/guardian and the seventh directly to the girl child’s bank account
      1. On birth – 5,000 Rupees
      2. 1 year and completion of vaccination – 5,000 Rupees
      3. Fist class – 10,000 Rupees
      4. 6th class – 15,000 Rupees
      5. 10th Class – 20,000 Rupees
      6. 12th Class – 25,000 Rupees
      7. Graduation and 21 year old – 70,000 Rupees 
    • Eligibility –
      1. Mother is a resident of Rajasthan and  
      2. The child must have been born in a government medical institution or a private hospital approved under the Janani Suraksha Yojana
  2. Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana (MAA)
    • Facility of cashless insurance coverage of 25 lakhs for every family of Rajasthan
    • Beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act and Socio Economic Census 2011 need not register. Their insurance premium will be borne by the state government
    • Small and marginal farmers, contract workers and other beneficiaries can register themselves or get registered on e-Mitra. The insurance premium will be borne by the state government.
    • Apart from this, other families will have to pay a premium of Rs 850 per year
    • It is mandatory to have Jan Aadhar number or Jan Aadhar registration receipt to apply
  3. PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana
    • Launched on 13 February, 2024
    • Aim – To install solar plants on 1 crore houses
    • Up to 300 units of free electricity per month
    • A maximum grant of ₹78,000 (for 3 KWor more) is available under the scheme
    • In Rajasthan, the target is to install solar rooftop plants in 5 lakh houses
  4. Namo Drone Didi Yojana
    • Launched – 28 November 2023
    • For spraying Nano Urea and Pesticides through drone technology
    • Drones to be provided to 15,000 self-help groups in four years
    • Female drone pilot’s salary will be Rs 15 thousand
    • Central financial assistance covers 80% of drone cost, up to Rs. 8 lakhs
    • Mandatory 15-day training to be provided to one of the members of women SHGs as a drone pilot

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