Important National Schemes and Missions — Objectives, Timelines, Implementing Agencies

National schemes and missions in India are targeted socioeconomic programs launched by the Union Government. These programs address rural development, urban renewal, financial inclusion, healthcare, clean water access, and infrastructure creation. They function either as Centrally Sponsored Schemes with shared Centre-State funding or as fully funded Central Sector Schemes implemented through designated nodal ministries.

Key Welfare and Financial Inclusion Schemes

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

• Launched on August 28, 2014, by the Ministry of Finance to ensure universal banking access across all unbanked households.
• Provides zero-balance basic savings bank deposit accounts with an inbuilt RuPay debit card.
• Offers accidental insurance coverage of 2 lakh rupees and an overdraft facility of up to 10,000 rupees for eligible account holders.
• Forms the foundational financial layer of the JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) Trinity.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

• Operational from December 1, 2018, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare as a central sector scheme.
• Transfers 6,000 rupees annually in three equal installments of 2,000 rupees directly into the bank accounts of landholding farmer families.
• Uses direct benefit transfer linked with Aadhaar authentication and land records databases.

Ayushman Bharat — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

• Launched on September 23, 2018, at Ranchi, Jharkhand, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Provides health insurance coverage of 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• Covers bottom vulnerable families identified through the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data.
• Implemented at the apex level by the National Health Authority (NHA).

Flagship Missions for Infrastructure and Clean Utilities

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

• Announced on August 15, 2019, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti to provide functional household tap connections to every rural household.
• Aims to supply 55 liters of potable water per capita per day through individual Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC).
• Implemented through a 50:50 fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and States, and 90:10 for Himalayan and North-Eastern States.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)

• PMAY-Urban was launched on June 25, 2015, by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to address urban housing shortages.
• PMAY-Gramin was launched on November 20, 2016, by the Ministry of Rural Development, replacing the erstwhile Indira Awaas Yojana.
• Provides financial assistance of 1.20 lakh rupees in plain areas and 1.30 lakh rupees in hilly, difficult, and Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts.
• Mandates house ownership in the name of the female head of the household or in joint ownership.

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

• Launched on October 2, 2014, to achieve an Open Defecation Free (ODF) India by the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.
• SBM-Gramin is administered by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• SBM-Urban is executed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Phase II focuses on ODF Plus sustainability and solid and liquid waste management (SLWM).

Comprehensive Matrix of National Missions

Employment, Skilling, and Industrial Programs

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

• Notified under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, by the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• Mandates that at least one-third of the total beneficiaries must be women.
• Requires the payment of an unemployment allowance if work is not provided within 15 days of application.

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes

• Introduced in 2020 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and sectoral ministries across 14 key manufacturing sectors.
• Offers direct financial incentives on incremental domestic sales over a base year to attract large-scale industrial manufacturing.
• Covers sectors like mobile phones, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, specialty steel, advanced chemistry cells, and solar PV modules.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

• Launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• Implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide industry-relevant vocational training and certification.
• Incorporates Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to assess and certify existing informal skills.

Facts

• Centrally Sponsored Schemes are funded jointly by the Union Government and States but implemented by State Governments.
• Central Sector Schemes are 100 percent funded and directly implemented by Union Government agencies.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti was formed in May 2019 by merging the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
• National Health Authority is the statutory implementation agency for both AB-PMJAY and the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
• PM-KISAN benefits apply to landholding farmer families subject to statutory exclusion criteria like income-tax payers and constitutional post holders.
• Under MGNREGS, the central government funds 100 percent of the unskilled labor cost and 75 percent of the material and skilled labor cost.
• PM-SVANidhi provides interest subsidies of 7 percent per annum on timely loan repayments by street vendors.
• The PM Vishwakarma scheme provides basic and advanced skill training with a daily stipend of 500 rupees and a toolkit incentive of 15,000 rupees.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) was launched in India on January 1, 2013, to reform government delivery systems using electronic payment networks.
• The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) fulfills the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 41 of the Constitution of India.