Government Schemes [India & States] Current Affairs MCQs

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The Minister of Tribal Affairs confirmed that the Swasthya Portal will not be expanded to include national health databases, district dashboards, or AI-enabled analytics. Swasthya Portal is a one-stop platform showing the health and nutrition status of India’s tribal population. It was developed under the central sector scheme Tribal Research Information Education Communication and Events (TRI ECE) of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. It provides data, research briefs, case studies, best practices, and innovative models. It features a dashboard, knowledge repository, partner section, and Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) support corner, covering 177 high-priority tribal districts.

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The Union Cabinet has approved the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana, signalling a major overhaul of the country’s flagship rural employment scheme. The government has proposed increasing the guaranteed employment under the scheme from 100 days to 125 days per rural household per year. It has also planned to revise the minimum daily wage under the scheme to ₹240, along with additional budgetary allocations to support the expanded scope.

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The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has invited industry leaders to join the PM-SETU (Prime Minister Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme. PM-SETU is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme approved in May 2025 with a ₹60,000 crore budget and launched on 4 October 2025. It aims to upgrade 1,000 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) using a “hub-and-spoke” model, with 200 hub ITIs supporting four spoke ITIs each. Five National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) in Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Ludhiana will be upgraded into global Centres of Excellence. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is the nodal ministry for the PM-SETU scheme.

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On 25 December 2025, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched the Atal Canteen Scheme. The initiative targets workers, poor, and needy residents of Delhi. Each canteen will serve around 1,000 meals daily, benefiting over 1,00,000 people across Delhi. The scheme promotes dignity, self-reliance, and responsible consumption, with beneficiaries contributing Rs 5 per meal while the government bears Rs 25.

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The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) notified guidelines for Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) and Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS). These schemes aim to strengthen India’s domestic shipbuilding capacity and global competitiveness. The scheme will remain valid until the year 2036 and is implemented by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW). Under this scheme, the government provides financial assistance to shipbuilders depending on the category of the vessel. A National Shipbuilding Mission is established under the scheme to ensure coordinated planning and effective execution of shipbuilding initiatives.

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At the 79th Foundation Day of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Union Minister launched the SHINE scheme in New Delhi. SHINE stands for Standards Help Inform and Nurture Empowered Women. It is a new initiative of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The scheme places women at the centre of India’s quality and standards journey. It provides structured training through partnerships with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). It empowers women with knowledge to ensure safety, quality, and family protection. The scheme also helps strengthen livelihoods and community awareness.

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In January 2026, the Karnataka cabinet, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, launched the “Akka Pade” (Elder Sister Force) scheme. The scheme aims to protect and ensure the safety of women and minor girls across Karnataka. It is a women- and community-oriented programme to prevent violence, harassment, exploitation, child marriage, and other social evils. Initially launched in Mysuru, Belagavi, and Dakshina Kannada, it will expand to all 31 districts and five police commissionerates.

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The Punjab government launched the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, a universal health insurance scheme providing free cashless medical treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family. The scheme covers all 65 lakh families in Punjab, benefiting nearly three crore residents. Eligibility requires possession of an Aadhaar card and voter card. It includes more than 2,500 medical procedures across government and empanelled private hospitals, covering specialties like cardiology, oncology, neurology, nephrology, orthopaedics, general medicine, and urology.

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A gap has been observed between the intended and actual outcomes of the Advanced Chemistry Cell Production Linked Incentive (ACC-PLI) scheme. The scheme was launched in October 2021 to promote domestic manufacturing of next-generation battery cells. It aims to set up 50 Gigawatt hour (GWh) battery manufacturing capacity by 2026. It has a total financial outlay of ₹18,100 crore. The scheme also aims to generate over one million jobs and is implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

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The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) implements the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), a Central Sector Umbrella scheme. As of 31 December 2025, 1,607 projects have been approved under PMKSY, with 1,196 completed/operational and 411 under implementation. Delays in implementation are mainly due to non-receipt of statutory clearances from authorities like Revenue, Town Planning, Electricity, Water, Pollution Control Board, and Licensing Authorities. Funds are released only after submission of required documents and fulfillment of all criteria under the scheme guidelines.