Social and Economic Development in India

SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana) was launched in 1997 to provide employment opportunities and urban amenities to the urban poor. It specifically targets urban areas for poverty alleviation through self-employment and wage employment programs. The scheme replaced earlier urban poverty programs and focused exclusively on cities and towns, not rural or semi-urban regions.

Correct Answer: Prime Minister's Employment Scheme

Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) was announced on 15^th August, 2008 and launched in place of REGP Scheme. PMEGP is a credit-linked subsidy programme launched by Ministry of MSME in 2008-09 for creation of employment in both rural and urban areas of the country.

The Antyodaya Programme, launched on 5th October 1975, was aimed at uplifting the poorest of the poor (Antyodaya means 'rise of the last person'). It focused on improving the condition of the weakest sections of society through employment generation and asset creation. The program was not limited to scheduled castes or urban areas specifically, but targeted all economically vulnerable persons at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Correct answer is (1). 

Correct answer is (2). 

Correct Answer: providing electricity to rural families living below the poverty line

The Gold Bond Scheme was launched with a minimum deposit limit of 500 grams to attract even small holders. It allows gold deposits without any investigation into the source of the gold (to encourage voluntary disclosure) and places no upper limit on deposits. All the features mentioned in options A, B, and C are correct.

Kerala has gained the position of being the state with the lowest maternal mortality rate in the country. The maternal mortality rate stands at 66 per one lakh live births according to the 2010-12 Sample Registration Survey report published by the Centre, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said.“It was 81 per one lakh live births in 2007-09. As per the latest report, Kerala has shown a drop of 19 per cent from 2007-09,” the Minister said.

Option (4) is the correct answer.
Dearness allowance is calculated as a percentage of an Indian citizen's basic salary to mitigate the impact of inflation on people. Initially, DA was given in response to demand of employees for wage revision, however later it was linked to Consumer Price Index. 

Option (4) is the correct answer.

The first 'Garib Rath' train, which aimed at providing air-conditioned comfort to the poor at subsidised fares, was flagged off on Wednesday by railway minister Lalu Prasad, at the Saharsa railway station in north Bihar. The train plied between Saharsa and Amritsar, in Punjab, the state where lakhs of migrant Bihari labourers go every year to earn a living.

Option (2) is the correct answer.

The Kelkar Committee (1987) reviewed the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) structure and recommended that no new RRBs be established. Following this recommendation, the government stopped establishing new RRBs from April 1987 onwards, focusing instead on strengthening the existing ones.

The Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) was introduced in 1978-79 during the Fifth Five Year Plan. It was one of the earliest major poverty alleviation programs in India, designed to assist rural families below the poverty line through income-generating assets and subsidies.

Correct answer is (4).