Government Schemes [India & States] Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
On 23 August 2025, a program under the National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme was held at Shri Krishna Memorial Hall, Patna, Bihar. It was attended by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Union Minister, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India. The scheme focuses on dignity, safety, and socio-economic empowerment of sanitation workers. It is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). So far, 85,819 Sewer & Septic Tank Workers (SSWs) have been profiled, 76,736 provided PPE Kits, and 60,586 given Ayushman Cards.

Notes:
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 11 years on August 28, 2025, as the world’s largest financial inclusion programme. It was launched on August 28, 2014. Its objective is to promote financial inclusion via banking, savings, credit, insurance, pensions, and remittance services. PMJDY supports Direct Benefit Transfers (DBTs) and forms the backbone of government economic initiatives. Before PMJDY, 59% of households and 35% of adults in India had bank accounts. After 11 years, almost 100% households and over 90% adults have bank accounts. 56.2 crore accounts opened, including 37.5 crore rural/semi-urban and 18.7 crore urban accounts. 56% accounts held by women, promoting gender inclusion.

Notes:
Bihar government has launched Mukhya Mantri Divyangjan Udyami Yojana to promote entrepreneurship among specially abled persons. The scheme provides Rs 5 lakh subsidy and Rs 5 lakh interest-free loan to each beneficiary. Initially, 100 specially abled persons will be supported, with expansion based on application volume. The scheme is a separate category under the existing Mukhya Mantri Udyami Yojana, which also supports minorities and women. The Social Welfare Department is promoting entrepreneurship through initiatives like Divya Kala Mela in Patna.

Notes:
The Government recently informed that over 68,000 ponds have been created under the Amrit Sarovar Mission. The Amrit Sarovar Mission, launched in April 2022, aims to construct or rejuvenate 75 Amrit Sarovars (ponds) in each district as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Each pond has a minimum area of 1 acre and a water holding capacity of about 10,000 cubic metres. Amrit Sarovars are surrounded by trees like Neem, Peepal, and Banyan. They support livelihoods through irrigation, fisheries, duckery, water chestnut cultivation, water tourism, and other activities.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a year-long incentive scheme for banks to reduce unclaimed deposits. The scheme is called ‘Scheme for Facilitating Accelerated Payout of Inoperative Accounts and Unclaimed Deposits’. Banks will receive differential payouts based on the duration an account remains inoperative and the amount of deposits. The scheme aims to reduce both existing unclaimed deposits and fresh inflows to the Depositor Education and Awareness (DEA) Fund. Banks are encouraged to contact depositors to reactivate inoperative accounts and return unclaimed amounts timely. As of June 2025, unclaimed deposits were over Rs 67,000 crore.

Notes:
The Union Government plans to showcase the PM-KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme to African and island nations through the International Solar Alliance platform. The scheme was launched in 2019 to provide energy and water security to farmers and increase their income. It also aims to de-dieselize agriculture and reduce environmental pollution. The target is to add 34,800 Megawatt (MW) of solar capacity by March 2026. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is the nodal ministry.

Notes:
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a special Krishi programme at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He launched two major schemes worth ₹35,440 crore to strengthen Indian agriculture. The PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (₹24,000 crore) aims to boost productivity, crop diversification, irrigation, storage, and farm credit across 100 districts. The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (₹11,440 crore) focuses on raising pulse production, expanding cultivation by 35 lakh hectares, and ensuring procurement and value chain support.

Notes:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Chief Minister’s Foreign Languages Initiative for Global Human Talent (CM-FLIGHT). The initiative aims to equip Assam’s youth with foreign language skills for global employment opportunities. The first cohort of 180 youths will receive Japanese language training along with cultural training, job placement support, and financial assistance. The initiative strengthens Indo-Japan collaboration and people-to-people ties. It aims to enhance employability in sectors like construction, nursing care, and food service. CM-FLIGHT will help Assam’s youth become economically strong and globally competitive.

Notes:
Recently, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) launched the Scheme for Innovation and Technology Association with Aadhaar (SITAA). SITAA aims to strengthen India’s digital identity ecosystem and tackle security threats like deepfakes, spoofing, and presentation attacks. It brings together startups, academic institutions, and industry players to co-develop secure, scalable, and globally benchmarked solutions for Aadhaar authentication. The pilot phase has three challenges: Face Liveness Detection, Presentation Attack Detection (PAD), and Contactless Fingerprint Authentication. Solutions must prevent spoofing, be privacy-compliant, scalable, and compatible with Aadhaar systems.

Notes:
Recently, the Government introduced new flexibility under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme to improve water use and farmer income. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme was launched by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. The scheme promotes water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation systems like Drip and Sprinkler Irrigation. It also supports micro-level water storage and conservation activities under Other Interventions (OI). A 2020 NITI Aayog evaluation confirmed PDMC’s success in increasing productivity, employment, and farmer income. New guidelines allow States and Union Territories to plan local water harvesting and management projects for sustainable micro-irrigation.