Government schemes

Story hook

9 February 2024, Parliament's Budget Session. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rises for the interim Budget — her sixth consecutive Budget (a record after Morarji Desai's 6 in the 1960s-70s). One announcement lands hardest: PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana — solar-rooftop panels on one crore homes with up to 300 free units per month. The scheme is formally launched on 15 February 2024 with a ₹75,021 crore outlay. By April 2025, 1.4 crore registrations stream in, overwhelming portal capacity. India's energy mix tilts further toward distributed generation.

Three months later, the new Modi 3.0 cabinet's first Budget (July 2024) drops PM Internship Scheme — 1 crore internships in top-500 companies, ₹5,000/month stipend + ₹6,000 joining grant. Then PM Vidyalaxmi (Nov 2024) — collateral- free loans up to ₹10 lakh for top-quality higher education.

Government schemes are the delivery layer of Indian governance. UPSC tests their features, beneficiaries, ministry, launch year, outlay, achievements. Track the big ones, every year.

Why this matters for UPSC

Schemes produce 2-3 direct Prelims questions per cycle (matching pairs, statements true/false) and pop up in Mains GS-II (welfare governance) + GS-III (agriculture, MSME, infrastructure). Interview boards probe one signature scheme ("What's your view on Mudra after 10 years?"). High-yield: PM-KISAN, MGNREGA, PMAY, Jal Jeevan, Swachh Bharat, Skill India, PM Gati Shakti, Vande Bharat, PLI, plus the latest 2023-2025 launches.