Renamed / Merged Schemes — The Classic Exam Trap
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Every cycle of budget announcements brings a wave of scheme renaming, merging, or relaunching — and because exams are written and re-written across years, an older question bank may still refer to a scheme's original name even after it has been folded into something else, while a newer question bank tests the current name. Both directions are fair game, so learn the mapping, not just one name.
| Old name(s) | Now called / merged into | What changed, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) + Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) + Teacher Education scheme | Samagra Shiksha | Merged in 2018 into one integrated school-education scheme spanning pre-school to Class 12 |
| Mid-Day Meal Scheme | PM POSHAN (PM Poshan Shakti Nirman) | Renamed in 2021, retaining the same core free-cooked-meal objective with expanded scope (pre-primary included) |
| Ayushman Bharat Health & Wellness Centres | Ayushman Arogya Mandir | Renamed in 2023 to give primary health infrastructure a more citizen-recognisable single brand |
| National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) + National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) | National Health Mission (NHM) | Merged in 2013 into a single umbrella covering both rural and urban health systems |
| Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) | Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) | Relaunched/renamed in 2015 with an expanded feeder-separation and rural electrification mandate |
| Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) | Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) | Restructured and renamed in 2016 with revised cost-sharing and beneficiary-identification criteria |
| National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) | Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – NRLM (DAY-NRLM) | Renamed in 2015-16, same self-help-group-based rural poverty-reduction mandate |
| Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) + Prime Minister's Rojgar Yojana (PMRY) | Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) | Merged in 2008 into a single credit-linked subsidy scheme for micro-enterprise self-employment |
| National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme (NREGA/S) | Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (MGNREGA/S) | Renamed in 2009 to honour Mahatma Gandhi; legal/programmatic content unchanged |
| Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) | AMRUT + Smart Cities Mission (successor programmes, not a direct rename) | JNNURM (2005) wound down; its urban-infrastructure mandate was effectively split and modernised into AMRUT and Smart Cities from 2015 |
The single most exam-tested entry in this table is the SSA + RMSA + Teacher Education → Samagra Shiksha merger (2018) — questions frequently ask either "what does Samagra Shiksha subsume" (answer: all three) or, in reverse, give you "RMSA" and ask which umbrella scheme it now falls under. A close second is Mid-Day Meal → PM POSHAN, since "Mid-Day Meal Scheme" remains the more colloquially recognised name even though it is not the current official one.
Memory hook — "Old names still walk around in new clothes": Whenever a question names a scheme you don't recognise but describes a clearly familiar objective (free school meals, rural electrification, urban renewal, employment guarantee), check this table first — it is very likely an older or newer name for something you already know.
Practice Recall: Before reading on, name the current official name of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and the year it was renamed.
Answer: PM POSHAN (PM Poshan Shakti Nirman), renamed in 2021.