Civics Polity · General Awareness

Indian Government Initiatives

3,925 Questions

Indian government initiatives cover national schemes for healthcare, education, rural housing, and cultural conservation. Test takers must understand the objectives and target demographics of various central and state programs. This is a highly scoring area in the general awareness section of SSC, banking, and PSC exams.

National health missionsEducation and disability schemesRural housing initiativesRenewable energy projectsCultural heritage policiesWildlife conservation programsFinancial assistance schemes

Indian Government Initiatives Questions

Multiple choice

Consider the following facts about the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana:1. It earmarks 50% of labour opportunities for women.

  1. Under this, Urban Women Self Help Programme (UWSP) stipulates a minimum of five women to form a Self Help Group for setting up gainful group enterprise with bank linkage.
  2. The scheme shall soon be subsumed under MGNREGA. Which of the above is/are not true?

  1. Only 1

  2. 1 and 3

  3. 2 and 3

  4. All three
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY) an employment generation programme implemented in urban areas earmarks 30 per cent of labour opportunities for women.  Under this, Urban Women Self Help Programme (UWSP) stipulates a minimum of five women to form a Self Help Group for setting up gainful group enterprise with bank linkage.  A subsidy of Rs.3.00 lakhs of 35% of the cost of the project or Rs.60, 000/- per member of the group, whichever is less, is released with the balance coming from bank loan and margin money.

Multiple choice

The Central Government Health Scheme was launched in 1954. Consider the following facts about it:1. The scheme aims at providing comprehensive medical care to only the serving Central Government employees.

  1. Freedom fighters can also seek medical benefits under this scheme. Which of the above is/are correct?

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Central Government Health Scheme (External website that opens in a new window) was started in 1954 with the objective of providing comprehensive medical care to the Central Government employees, both serving and pensioners and their dependent family members. The scheme is also providing service to members and former member of parliament, judges of Supreme Court and High Court, freedom fighters, former Governors and former Vice-Presidents of India.

Multiple choice

With which of the following initiatives taken by Indian Government can you associate the term SARAS?

  1. Promoting ecological concerns among school children

  2. Promoting rural handicrafts in urban centres

  3. Conserving wetlands in India

  4. Running an educational scheme in North Eastern states of India
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Since 1999, SARAS exhibitions have been a regular annual event and have been able to elicit wide participation by the beneficiaries of the programmes of the Ministry from all over the country. SARAS was promoted as an umbrella brand for promoting rural products in Indian urban centres. A major initiative was taken by the Ministry of Rural Development in the direction of promoting rural products and building capacities of Swarozgaris during 1999-2000 when it participated in India International Trade Fair (IITF), 1999 under the banner of SARAS.

Multiple choice

Which of the following schemes aims at providing central support to states willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers?

  1. Indira Awaas Yojana

  2. Rajiv Awaas Yojana

  3. JNNURM

  4. IHSDP
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In pursuance of the Government's vision of creating slum-free India, a new scheme of Rajiv Aawas Yojana (RAY) was launched on 2nd June, 2011. The scheme aims at providing support to states that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers.

Multiple choice

Which of the following departments was/were created under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to fulfil the needs of focussed attention for certain disadvantaged groups in May, 2012?

  1. Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
  2. Department of Disability Affairs

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The decision to create a separate Department of Disability Affairs within the M/o SJ&E was taken up by the Government, in principle on 3rd January, 2012. This was also announced by the President before both houses of Parliament on 12th March, 2012.

Now the two departments have been created under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment vide notification dated 12.5.2012, namely:-

Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (SamajikNyayaaurAdhikaritaVibhag) Department of Disability Affairs (NishaktataKaryaVibhag)
Multiple choice

Which of the following facts about Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Scheme is/are correct?

  1. It was launched during the year 2005-06 for the welfare of Persons with Disability.
  2. The scheme aids students in pursuing studies up to master's level.
  3. University Grants Commission is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 1 and 3

  3. Only 3

  4. All 1, 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Government of India had launched a Central Sector scheme, namely Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship during the financial year 2005-06 to increase opportunities to Scheduled Castes for pursuing higher education leading to degrees such as M.Phil. and Ph.D. The scheme has been revised with effect from 1.4.2010. The scheme caters the requirements of the Scheduled Caste students for pursuing research degree in universities, research institutions and scientific institutions.

Multiple choice

The Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) programme is a sub mission under which of the following schemes?

  1. Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme

  2. Indira Aawas Yojana

  3. JNNURM

  4. It is an independent programme
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation is implementing the Sub-Mission on Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) and the Integrated Housing & Slum Development (IHSDP) for smaller towns/cities under JNNURM.  The basic objective is to strive for holistic slum development with a healthy and enabling urban environment by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure facilities to the slum dwellers of the identified urban areas.

Multiple choice

The 'YES Project' launched by Government of India in the North Eastern region deals with

  1. skill development of Youth

  2. subsidies to the urban poor

  3. educational programmes for the blind

  4. violence against women
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Government of India has initiated a Pilot Project namely Youth Employability Skill (YES) Project with the objective to enhance the employability of youth by running a variety of employable skills based training courses through recognized Vocational Training Providers (VTPs) for nearly 1000 rural youths and 7000 youth club members in the States of North Eastern Region.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency is the second of the eight missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change to be approved by the Council. The Mission will enable about Rs. 75,000 crore worth transactions in energy efficiency. In doing so, it will, by 2015, help save about five per cent of our annual energy consumption. The most innovative and challenging new initiative to be introduced under the Mission is the “Perform, Achieve and Trade” (PAT) mechanism which will assign energy efficiency improvement targets to the country's most energy intensive industrial units, with the provision of allowing them to retain any energy efficiency improvements in excess of their target in the form of Energy Savings Certificates, called ESCerts.

Multiple choice

Within a year of its introduction, which of the following initiatives won the Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in Public Administration (for the year 2008-09)?

  1. STUDSAT project

  2. Project Arrow

  3. ILD Telephony

  4. Green Telecom Initiative
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Department of Posts introduced Project Arrow in 2008 to transform the existing India Post infrastructure across the country. The project aims to revitalise the organisation, capitalising on its strengths and recognising and dealing with the weak areas of the department through a sustained, sincere and honest team effort. The Project Arrow experience is a working model for ushering in an integrated and lasting improvement in the postal system and awarded with "Prime Ministers' award for Excellence in Public Administration for 2008-2009” in 2010.

Multiple choice

The Union government of India decided to extend a specially conceived development programme called the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for the

  1. worst Naxal-affected districts

  2. worst flood-affected districts

  3. worst drought-affected districts

  4. most earthquake-prone regions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Integrated Action Plan (IAP) was launched by the Indian government to address development deficits in Naxal-affected districts, focusing on infrastructure and public service delivery in these conflict-affected areas.

Multiple choice

The Bharat Nirman Scheme was launched in 2005 to provide basic infrastructure in rural areas. Which of the following is not a component of this scheme?

  1. Road connectivity

  2. Electrification

  3. Housing

  4. Sanitation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Bharat Nirman, launched in 2005, had six specific components: irrigation (water supply), roads (rural connectivity), housing (for rural poor), water supply (drinking water), electrification (rural electricity), and telephony (rural telecom connectivity). Sanitation was NOT included as a component of the original Bharat Nirman program, though it became part of other rural development initiatives like Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan and later the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Multiple choice

Which of the following programmes is being implemented by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)?

  1. Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana (PMRY)

  2. Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY)

  3. District Rural Industrial Project (DRIP)

  4. Rural Employment Generation Programme REGP)

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

NABARD implements the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), which was launched in 1999 to provide sustainable income to rural poor through self-employment. SGSY focuses on organizing rural poor into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and providing them with training, credit, and infrastructure support. The other schemes listed (PMRY, DRIP, REGP) are implemented by different ministries/agencies.

Multiple choice

Which plan has now been extended to both urban and rural areas?

  1. Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme

  2. Jawahar Rozgar Yojana

  3. Akshat Yojana for Unemployed Graduate

  4. Jan Shree Bima Yojana
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Correct Answer: Prime Minister's Employment Scheme

Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) was announced on 15th 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.

Multiple choice

What was the aim of Antyodaya Programme?

  1. Improving the standards of scheduled castes

  2. Elimination of urban poverty

  3. Helping the poorest among poor

  4. Uplifting minorities
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

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.