Indian Society, Social Issues and Welfare · Chapter 9

Central and State Welfare Policies and Programmes

What to remember

Read every scheme the same way: objective, target group, eligibility, benefit, funding pattern, implementing agency and monitoring.
Funding type matters: Central Sector schemes are fully funded by the Centre; Centrally Sponsored Schemes are shared between the Centre and States; State schemes are funded by the State.
Delivery is changing: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Aadhaar and mobile phones, village and ward secretariats, social audit and third-party evaluation are now central to implementation.

How to read a welfare scheme

A welfare scheme is a planned programme that gives money, goods or services to a target group. Use this checklist.

Question	What to note
Why?	Problem the scheme solves, such as hunger or lack of housing
Who?	Target group: poor, women, children, elderly, SC/ST, disabled
How is it chosen?	Eligibility test, such as the household list or income limit
What is given?	Cash, food grain, insurance, a house, a job, a service
Who pays?	Centre, State, or both, and in what share
Who delivers?	Ministry, State department, Panchayat, bank, self-help group
How is it checked?	Audit, social audit, evaluation, grievance system

Exam tip: schemes are often asked by sector. Remember the parent Act or ministry, the target group and the main benefit. Do not memorise budget figures or yearly numbers, because they change.

Types of schemes

Central Sector Scheme: fully funded and run by the Centre.
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS): the Centre and States share costs; the State usually implements it.
State Scheme: designed and funded by the State.
Universal vs. targeted: a universal scheme covers everyone (for example, public schooling), while a targeted scheme covers only identified groups (for example, pensions for the poor).
Rights-based vs. discretionary: a rights-based scheme rests on a law (such as MGNREGA or the Food Security Act), so the person can claim it legally.

Major flagship schemes by sector

Employment and livelihood

MGNREGA (2005): a legal right to unskilled wage work in rural areas for up to 100 days a year for each household that asks for it. It has been replaced by the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, which raises the guarantee to 125 days. Work is demand-driven, the Gram Panchayat plays a key role, and social audit is compulsory. One third of workers should be women.
National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and National Urban Livelihoods Mission: organise poor women into self-help groups (SHGs) for savings, credit and enterprise.

Social security

National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): pensions for the old, widows and persons with disabilities among poor households.
Insurance and pension schemes: Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Suraksha Bima Yojana (life and accident cover) and Atal Pension Yojana (pension for unorganised sector workers).
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: brings every household into the banking system.

Food and nutrition

National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013: gives legal right to subsidised food grain through the Public Distribution System (PDS). It covers up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population. Antyodaya Anna Yojana covers the poorest households. The Act also guarantees meals for pregnant and nursing women and for children.
ICDS (started 1975): provides supplementary nutrition, immunisation, health check-ups and pre-school learning through Anganwadi centres. POSHAN Abhiyaan targets stunting and malnutrition.
PM POSHAN (earlier Mid-Day Meal): cooked meals in schools.

Housing

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has Gramin and Urban parts. It aims to give pucca houses to the poor. It follows the older Indira Awas Yojana for rural housing.

Health

National Health Mission (NHM): strengthens public health systems in rural and urban areas, including ASHA workers.
Ayushman Bharat: has two parts: Health and Wellness Centres (renamed Ayushman Arogya Mandir in 2023) for primary care and PM-JAY for hospital insurance for poor and vulnerable families. Ayushman Bharat is a cashless scheme linked to empanelled hospitals.
Janani Suraksha Yojana: promotes institutional delivery.

Education

Right to Education Act 2009 (Article 21A): free and compulsory education for ages 6-14; 25 per cent seats for disadvantaged children in private unaided schools.
Samagra Shiksha: merges earlier school schemes for primary, secondary and teacher education into one programme.
Scholarships: pre-matric and post-matric scholarships for SC, ST, BC and minority students.

Implementation machinery

The Union ministry designs the scheme and releases funds. The State department and district officials (Collector, District Rural Development Agency or equivalent) implement it. Panchayats and urban local bodies identify beneficiaries and run works. Banks, post offices, SHGs and non-government organisations help in delivery. Funds now move through Direct Benefit Transfer into bank accounts, with Aadhaar for identity, and mobile phones for alerts. Grievances are handled through helplines, online portals and Gram Sabha meetings.

Evaluation and monitoring

Tool	Role
NITI Aayog	Think tank that replaced the Planning Commission; guides policy
Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO)	Evaluates schemes under NITI Aayog
CAG audit	Checks spending and accounts
Social audit	Community checks records in a Gram Sabha
Third-party evaluation	Independent study of impact
Parliamentary committees	Examine demand for grants and performance
Right to Information	Citizens seek records

Typical problems: leakages, exclusion of eligible people, inclusion of ineligible people, delay in funds and poor awareness. Remedies are better targeting, DBT, digital records, social audit and grievance redress.

Schemes for women, children and weaker sections

Welfare also targets groups that face special risks. Women get support through self-help groups, maternity benefits, protection laws and One Stop Centres for women facing violence. Children are served through Anganwadi centres, school meals, immunisation and child protection services. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and minorities receive scholarships, hostels, skill training and loans through special corporations. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities receive pensions, aids and appliances, and barrier-free access. When a question asks about a scheme for a group, first find the group, then the sector, and then the agency that runs it.

Quick sector map

Sector	Main scheme or law	Core idea
Employment	MGNREGA	Wage work as a legal right
Food	NFSA and PDS	Subsidised grain as a legal right
Nutrition	ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan, PM POSHAN	Anganwadi and school meals
Housing	PMAY	Pucca house for the poor
Health	NHM, Ayushman Bharat	Public health and insurance
Education	RTE, Samagra Shiksha	Free schooling and school support
Social security	NSAP, APY, insurance schemes	Pension and insurance
Livelihood	NRLM	SHGs, thrift and credit

Why implementation fails and how it improves

Even a good scheme can fail if beneficiaries are wrongly selected or do not know their rights. Poor records, delayed payments and middlemen create leakage. Better results come from clean beneficiary lists, Aadhaar-linked bank accounts, public display of lists, regular social audit, and a working helpline. The Gram Sabha has a special role as a forum where villagers can question officials. Monitoring should look at outputs (houses built, meals served) and also outcomes (better health, less hunger, higher attendance).

Andhra Pradesh welfare structure

Welfare in the State is delivered by departments for Social Welfare, Backward Classes Welfare, Tribal Welfare, Minority Welfare, Women and Child Welfare, Disability and Senior Citizens, Health, and Rural Development. The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) supports women's self-help groups. The Village and Ward Secretariat system, set up in 2019 along with village and ward volunteers, takes government services to the doorstep. State pensions, a state health assurance scheme, housing, scholarships, and welfare hostels for SC, ST and BC students are part of the structure. Scheme names change with governments, so learn the structure and purpose first, and check the latest official list for names.

Exam traps

A Central Sector scheme is fully central; a Centrally Sponsored Scheme is shared.
MGNREGA gave up to 100 days of unskilled work per household (125 days under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, which replaced it); it is not an urban scheme.
NFSA is rights-based; PDS is the delivery system.
ICDS works through Anganwadi centres; PM POSHAN works through schools.
PM-JAY gives hospital insurance; Health and Wellness Centres give primary care.
Samagra Shiksha merged school schemes; RTE is a law, not a scheme.
NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission; unlike the Planning Commission, it does not allocate plan funds to States.
Social audit is done by the people; CAG audit is done by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the constitutional auditor (Article 148).

One-liners

1. MGNREGA 2005 gave up to 100 days of wage work per rural household; the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 replaced it with 125 days.
2. NFSA 2013 covers rural and urban populations through the PDS.
3. ICDS began in 1975 and uses Anganwadi centres.
4. PMAY aims at housing for the poor.
5. PM-JAY gives cashless hospital cover to poor families.
6. Article 21A is the base for the RTE Act.
7. DBT sends money straight to bank accounts.
8. SHGs are small groups of women practising thrift and credit.
9. NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission.
10. Social audit means checking records in public.
11. SERP supports SHGs in Andhra Pradesh.
12. The Village and Ward Secretariat system was created in 2019.

Practice questions

MGNREGA guarantees up to how many days of unskilled wage work per rural household in a year?
1. 50 days
2. 100 days
3. 150 days
4. 200 days
Answer
B. 100 days
MGNREGA gives a legal right to up to 100 days of unskilled wage work for each rural household that asks for it.
Which Act gives a legal right to subsidised food grain through the Public Distribution System?
1. Mental Healthcare Act 2017
2. MGNREGA 2005
3. Right to Education Act 2009
4. National Food Security Act 2013
Answer
D. National Food Security Act 2013
NFSA makes subsidised food grain a legal entitlement.
ICDS provides its services mainly through which centres?
1. Fair price shops
2. Anganwadi centres
3. Post offices
4. Primary schools
Answer
B. Anganwadi centres
ICDS delivers nutrition, immunisation and pre-school education through Anganwadi centres.
Which Article of the Constitution is the base of the Right to Education Act?
1. Article 32
2. Article 19
3. Article 45A
4. Article 21A
Answer
D. Article 21A
Article 21A makes education free and compulsory for ages 6 to 14.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana mainly aims to provide which of these?
1. Pension for the old
2. Pucca houses for the poor
3. School uniforms
4. Crop insurance
Answer
B. Pucca houses for the poor
PMAY targets housing for the poor in rural and urban areas.
A scheme fully funded and implemented by the Centre is called what?
1. Centrally Sponsored Scheme
2. Central Sector Scheme
3. Local Area Scheme
4. State Scheme
Answer
B. Central Sector Scheme
A Central Sector Scheme is wholly funded by the Union government.
In a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, who shares the cost?
1. Only the Centre
2. Only the Panchayat
3. Only the banks
4. The Centre and the States
Answer
D. The Centre and the States
CSS costs are shared between the Union and the States.
Which body replaced the Planning Commission?
1. Election Commission
2. NITI Aayog
3. National Development Council
4. Finance Commission
Answer
B. NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission as the government's policy think tank.
What does DBT stand for in welfare delivery?
1. Digital Bank Transaction
2. Direct Budget Tax
3. District Block Treasury
4. Direct Benefit Transfer
Answer
D. Direct Benefit Transfer
DBT sends benefits straight into the beneficiary's bank account.
PM-JAY under Ayushman Bharat mainly provides what?
1. Housing loans
2. Hospital insurance cover for poor families
3. Crop loans
4. Free school meals
Answer
B. Hospital insurance cover for poor families
PM-JAY gives cashless hospital cover to eligible families.
Which scheme provides cooked meals to school children?
1. NSAP
2. PMAY
3. Atal Pension Yojana
4. PM POSHAN
Answer
D. PM POSHAN
PM POSHAN, earlier the Mid-Day Meal scheme, serves school meals.
The National Social Assistance Programme provides what?
1. Subsidised cooking gas
2. Pensions to the old, widows and persons with disabilities
3. Free mobile phones
4. Seeds to farmers
Answer
B. Pensions to the old, widows and persons with disabilities
NSAP gives social pensions to poor households.
Atal Pension Yojana is mainly meant for which group?
1. Workers in the unorganised sector
2. Government employees
3. Large companies
4. Only students
Answer
A. Workers in the unorganised sector
APY is a pension scheme for unorganised sector workers.
Which scheme merged earlier school education schemes into one integrated programme?
1. PM POSHAN
2. NRLM
3. NHM
4. Samagra Shiksha
Answer
D. Samagra Shiksha
Samagra Shiksha brought school, secondary and teacher education schemes together.
The National Rural Livelihoods Mission mainly works through what?
1. Private schools
2. Women's self-help groups
3. Courts
4. Fair price shops
Answer
B. Women's self-help groups
NRLM organises poor women into SHGs for thrift and credit.
Which agency in Andhra Pradesh supports women's self-help groups in rural areas?
1. APPSC
2. APSRTC
3. AP Genco
4. SERP
Answer
D. SERP
The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty works with SHGs.
Which Andhra Pradesh system takes government services to the doorstep through village and ward volunteers?
1. Mandal Parishad system
2. District Court system
3. Village and Ward Secretariat system
4. Zilla Parishad system
Answer
C. Village and Ward Secretariat system
The secretariat system delivers many services at village and ward level.
Checking of scheme records by villagers in a Gram Sabha is called what?
1. Social audit
2. Stock audit
3. Income audit
4. CAG audit
Answer
A. Social audit
Social audit is community verification of records and works.
Which statement best describes a rights-based welfare scheme?
1. It is a favour given at the officer's will
2. It is open only to the rich
3. It is funded only by donors
4. It rests on a law that people can claim
Answer
D. It rests on a law that people can claim
A rights-based scheme rests on law, so entitled persons can claim it.
Why is DBT preferred over in-kind distribution in many schemes?
1. It increases paperwork
2. It reduces leakage and middlemen
3. It needs no bank account
4. It removes the need for any record
Answer
B. It reduces leakage and middlemen
DBT sends money directly to the beneficiary's account, cutting middlemen.
A scheme lists "target group" and "eligibility". What is the purpose of these two items?
1. To name the ministers
2. To show the budget
3. To decide who can receive the benefit
4. To fix the audit date
Answer
C. To decide who can receive the benefit
They define who the scheme is meant for and who qualifies.
A village woman is a member of a self-help group. Which function does the group mainly serve?
1. Policing the village
2. Running a court
3. Thrift and credit for small enterprise
4. Collecting taxes
Answer
C. Thrift and credit for small enterprise
SHGs promote savings, loans and livelihood.
Which of these is a problem called "exclusion error" in welfare schemes?
1. An ineligible person is added
2. An eligible person is left out of the list
3. Money arrives late
4. A scheme is renamed
Answer
B. An eligible person is left out of the list
Exclusion error means genuine beneficiaries are missed.
An evaluation that measures better health and less hunger, not just meals served, looks at which aspect?
1. Inputs
2. Outputs only
3. Advertising
4. Outcomes
Answer
D. Outcomes
Outcomes are the final effects on people's lives, beyond outputs such as meals served.
Which institution under NITI Aayog evaluates government schemes?
1. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office
2. Reserve Bank of India
3. Law Commission
4. Election Commission
Answer
A. Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office
DMEO is the evaluation arm linked to NITI Aayog.
Which scheme combination is correctly matched with its sector?
1. MGNREGA with housing
2. NFSA with education
3. PMAY with health
4. Ayushman Bharat with health
Answer
D. Ayushman Bharat with health
Ayushman Bharat deals with health and health insurance.
Which ID and bank account link is used to send welfare money directly?
1. Ration card only
2. Driving licence
3. Aadhaar-linked bank account
4. Voter slip
Answer
C. Aadhaar-linked bank account
Aadhaar-linked accounts support DBT.
Which sector would the Janani Suraksha Yojana belong to?
1. Health
2. Housing
3. Employment
4. Banking
Answer
A. Health
It promotes institutional delivery of babies, which is a health sector aim.
Which agency usually identifies beneficiaries and executes works at the village level?
1. Planning Commission
2. Gram Panchayat
3. Supreme Court
4. Reserve Bank
Answer
B. Gram Panchayat
Panchayats identify beneficiaries and carry out local works in many schemes.
Consider these statements on MGNREGA. 1. It provides wage employment in rural areas. 2. It is a demand-driven programme.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Work is given when rural households ask for it.
Consider these statements on ICDS. 1. It provides supplementary nutrition to children and mothers. 2. It works through Anganwadi centres.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements are correct.
Consider these statements on the Right to Education Act. 1. It covers children aged 6 to 14. 2. It reserves 25 per cent seats in private unaided schools for disadvantaged children.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are provisions of the RTE Act.
Consider these statements on NITI Aayog. 1. It replaced the Planning Commission. 2. It releases scheme funds to States as the main treasury.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
NITI Aayog is a policy body and not the main fund-releasing treasury.
Consider these statements on the Food Security Act. 1. It is a rights-based law. 2. It covers only urban areas.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
It covers both rural and urban populations.
Consider these statements on Centrally Sponsored Schemes. 1. Costs are shared by Centre and States. 2. The State usually implements them.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements describe CSS correctly.
Consider these statements on social audit. 1. It is done with the participation of beneficiaries. 2. It is done only by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
Social audit involves the community; CAG does a separate audit.
Consider these statements on Ayushman Bharat. 1. It has Health and Wellness Centres. 2. It has a hospital insurance component.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both parts belong to Ayushman Bharat.
Consider these statements on welfare delivery. 1. DBT can reduce leakage. 2. Aadhaar-linked accounts help identify beneficiaries.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both support efficient delivery.
Consider these statements about PM POSHAN. 1. It is the new name of the Mid-Day Meal scheme. 2. It provides pension to the elderly.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
PM POSHAN provides school meals; pensions are under NSAP.
Consider these statements on Andhra Pradesh welfare structure. 1. SERP supports self-help groups. 2. The Village and Ward Secretariat system brings services closer to citizens.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements are correct.
Consider these statements on welfare schemes. 1. A targeted scheme covers only identified groups. 2. A universal scheme covers only the poor.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
A universal scheme covers everyone.
Consider these statements on housing schemes. 1. PMAY has Gramin and Urban components. 2. Indira Awas Yojana was an earlier rural housing scheme.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are correct.
Consider these statements on evaluation. 1. Parliamentary committees examine the performance of departments. 2. Right to Information can help citizens seek scheme records.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both are tools of accountability.
Consider these statements on the Food Security Act. 1. Antyodaya Anna Yojana covers the poorest households. 2. The Act has no provision for meals to pregnant women.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
The Act does provide meals for pregnant and nursing women.
What does SHG stand for?
1. School Help Gathering
2. Social Housing Grant
3. State Health Group
4. Self-Help Group
Answer
D. Self-Help Group
An SHG is a small group that saves and lends among members.

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1.Social or Collective Ownership, Central Planning Authority and Social Welfare are the features of which type of economy? (RPF Constable 2024 (05/03/2025) Shift 1)
2.Which of the following ministries launched Phase 01 of India’s Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise in March 2025 to strengthen welfare schemes and support vulnerable groups through better data consolidation at the Central level?
3.Which committee was related to the policies and programme for agriculture? (RRB NTPC CBT-I (07/04/2021) Shift 2)
4.The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB) envisaged by the Central Government is called _____________.
5.Which tax is levied directly on individual income by the central government?
6.Who is known as the Father of the Indian Space Programme?
7.Which bank is known as the central bank of India?
8.The box that contains the central electronic components of the computer is
9.The central processing unit{CPU) contains which of the following as a component?
10.The Central Processing Unit (CPU) constitutes.

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