Government Schemes [India & States] Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, the National Social Assistance Programme became a key part of India’s social security system. It was started in 1995 as a fully funded Centrally Sponsored Scheme to support people living below the poverty line. The programme is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. It has five components that provide financial and food support.

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The World Bank released the Financial Sector Assessment (FSA) Report 2025. The report stated that India must boost financial sector reforms and private capital mobilisation to become a USD 30-trillion economy by 2047. It praised India’s world-class digital public infrastructure and government programmes for improving access to financial services for both men and women. The FSA noted that India’s financial system has become more resilient, diversified, and inclusive since the 2017 FSAP. It welcomed India’s regulatory expansion on cooperative banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) through scale-based regulation.

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Recently, Uttarakhand approved the Devbhoomi Parivar Yojana for all resident families. The scheme will create a dynamic database covering every rural and urban household in the state. Each family will get a Family Identification Number (Family-ID) linked to all welfare schemes. Citizens and the government can easily check scheme eligibility and benefits received. The model is inspired by Haryana’s Parivar Pehchan Patra scheme. The database will remove duplicate beneficiaries, reduce paperwork, and support paper-less governance. Urban families, who earlier lacked a family register, will now be fully included.

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The Union Cabinet approved the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets with a budget of ₹7,280 crore. The scheme aims to set up 6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA) of Rare Earth Permanent Magnet (REPM) production in India. REPMs are very strong magnets used in electric vehicles, renewable energy, electronics, aerospace, and defence. It will cover the full process from rare earth oxides to metals, metals to alloys, and alloys to finished magnets. India now depends mainly on imports and its demand for REPMs is expected to double by 2030.

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Andhra Pradesh State Government launched the statewide Rythanna Meekosam initiative to strengthen farmer welfare. The programme focuses on water security, demand-based farming, agri-technology, food processing, and full government support. The government has spent ₹1,000 crore in the last 18 months to improve farmer livelihoods. Agriculture supports over 60 percent of the State’s population and adds major revenue. Farmers receive help through modern machines, drones for spraying, and pest control. Food processing units are being set up to improve crop value and exports. Under Pradhan Mantri Kisan (PM-Kisan) Annadata Sukhibhava scheme, 68 lakh farmers got ₹3,200 crore support

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Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL)-PAHAL Scheme started in January 2015 under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It is India’s DBT system for subsidy transfer on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Consumers pay full market price, subsidy is transferred directly to their bank accounts. It covers more than 17 crore LPG consumers, making it world’s largest cash transfer program. Common LPG Database Platform (CLDP) helps remove duplicates and ineligible accounts using Aadhaar, bank, ration card, and TIN details. Biometric Aadhaar Authentication completed for 69% PMUY beneficiaries; mandatory for new connections. 8.63 lakh inactive PMUY connections terminated; SOP issued for inactive accounts. Details were shared in Rajya Sabha by the Shri Suresh Gopi, Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

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The Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme was approved on 9 December 2020 to expand Broadband through public Wi-Fi. It aligns with the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018 for strong digital infrastructure. Wi-Fi is delivered by Public Data Offices (PDOs) under Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs). As of 26 November 2025, 3,91,599 PDOs (hotspots) are active across India. Reforms by the Department of Telecommunications in September 2024 allow Fiber to the Home (FTTH) use, hotspot aggregation, roaming, and mobile data offload. Existing home and business Wi-Fi can join PM-WANI for income.

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The government informed Lok Sabha that 222 institutions are currently part of the Sanchar Mitra Scheme. The scheme is a youth-focused initiative of the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications. It trains student volunteers, called Sanchar Mitras, to spread awareness on digital safety, telecom fraud prevention, and government telecom initiatives. Eligible students from technical institutes receive expert training through the National Communications Academy-Technology.

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The Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme, launched on 1 October 2022, aims to bridge the digital divide by developing and manufacturing indigenous telecom technologies for rural and remote areas. As of 10 December 2025, 136 projects worth Rs 542.22 crores have been approved under TTDF for IITs, NITs, MSMEs, startups, and research institutions. TTDF has approved a 6G test bed project at SAMEER Kolkata in collaboration with IIT-Madras, IIT-Guwahati, and IIT-Patna; an indigenous prototype has already been developed.

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Government follows a lifecycle-based approach to support startups from idea to product development and testing. Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs 2.0 (TIDE 2.0) is a program by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It was launched in 2019 to promote technology-based entrepreneurship in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The scheme has a financial outlay of ₹264.62 crore for a five-year period and aims to support approximately 2,000 technology startups. As of now, 1,706 startups have been supported under TIDE 2.0, demonstrating strong progress in idea validation, prototype development, and product-market fit.