Government Schemes [India & States] Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai recently requested special central grants due to the state’s large tribal population, challenging geographical conditions, and Naxal activities. During a meeting with the 16th Finance Commission, he highlighted rapid development efforts in Naxal-affected areas through the ‘Niyad Nellanar Yojana,’ which aims to provide basic amenities like education and health. The CM noted that mining activities are causing additional environmental and health costs, with GST benefiting other states more than Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced village-level camps to enroll women in the ‘Mukhya Mantri Bahan Beti Maiqui Swabalamban Protsahan Yojana,’ providing Rs 1,000 per month to women aged 21-49. At a Sahibganj district event, he unveiled projects worth Rs 88 crore. The scheme, approved on June 28, will benefit 45 lakh women and cost the state Rs 5,500 crore annually, aiming to empower and make women self-reliant.

Notes:
The National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), overseen by the Ministry of Culture, aims to catalog the cultural heritage of 6.5 lakh villages across India. This initiative includes creating a comprehensive database of artists, art forms, and resources on an IT-enabled platform. Objectives include raising cultural heritage awareness, mapping villages’ cultural profiles, creating national artist registers, and developing a web portal and mobile app for cultural engagement.

Notes:
The Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) was launched in March 2024 by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries to accelerate EV adoption and will end on July 31, 2024. With a total outlay of Rs. 500 crore, the scheme targets two-wheelers (private, corporate, and commercial) and three-wheelers (including e-rickshaws and carts). Eligible EVs must be manufactured and registered within the scheme’s validity period.

Notes:
The Centre has allowed state governments to directly buy rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) without e-auctions under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS). The OMSS enables FCI to sell surplus wheat and rice from the central pool at predetermined prices to traders, bulk consumers, and states. This is in addition to maintaining buffer stocks for the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes. The scheme aims to ensure food security and control market prices during lean seasons, especially in deficit regions. States can procure food grains for their needs beyond NFSA allocations.

Notes:
The Bombay High Court dismissed a PIL challenging the Ladki Bahin Yojana, a Maharashtra government scheme providing Rs 1,500 monthly to eligible women aged 21-65. Eligibility requires a family income below Rs 2.5 lakh and no income tax payers in the family. The petitioner argued taxes should fund infrastructure, not such schemes. The court ruled paying taxes is compulsory and their use cannot be dictated by individuals.

Notes:
On August 9, 2024, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) 2.0 with an investment of Rs 10 lakh crores. This new scheme will replace the original PMAY-U, which runs until December 2024. PMAY-U 2.0 will last for five years and aims to build one crore houses for the urban poor and middle-class families. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will implement the scheme. It covers towns from the 2011 census and targets economically weaker sections, low-income groups, and middle-income groups families without pucca houses, with income limits of Rs 3 lakh, Rs 6 lakh, and Rs 9 lakh per year, respectively.

Notes:
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has marked ten years since its launch on August 28, 2014, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme aims to include the unbanked population in India’s financial system. PMJDY has expanded financial services to nearly every adult in India, offering Basic Savings Bank Accounts, remittance, credit, insurance, and pensions. It is managed by the Ministry of Finance and focuses on providing affordable financial services to the masses. By July 2024, 52.74 crore Jan Dhan accounts had been opened. Over 55% of the account holders are women.
Nearly all villages have banking outlets within 5 km, as per the Jan Dhan Darshak App. The average deposit in PMJDY accounts increased by 4.12 times from 2015 to 2024. The number of zero-balance accounts dropped to 4.26 crore, down from 8.52 crore in March 2015.

Notes:
Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) completed four years since its launch in 2020. It is the flagship scheme of the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying. The scheme aims to boost the fisheries sector through a combination of initiatives and schemes. PMMSY has two components: Central Sector Scheme (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS). India is the 3rd largest fish producer and 2nd in aquaculture globally, with Andhra Pradesh leading. The fisheries sector supports over 30 million livelihoods in India. PMMSY aims for sustainable growth of the fisheries sector through a Blue Revolution.

Notes:
Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, launched the NPS Vatsalya scheme for minors on 17 September 2024 in New Delhi. The event was attended by schoolchildren and held in 75 locations across India. The scheme was initially announced in the 2024-25 union budget. NPS Vatsalya is regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
It allows parents or guardians to open an account for their children to save for future financial needs. The funds accumulate until the child turns 18, after which they are transferred to a standard NPS account.