UPSC GS Paper II: Social Justice, Welfare Schemes, MGNREGS, PM-KISAN, PM Awas, Ayushman

Must?Know

• MGNREGA enacted in 2005 as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act; mandates 100 days of wage employment per rural household annually, linked to poverty alleviation and rural asset creation.
• MGNREGA implemented by Ministry of Rural Development; funds shared between Centre and States (100% central funding for wages, 75:25 wage-material split in most states).
• MGNREGA mandates work within 5 km of village; if beyond, extra 10% wages as transportation allowance, ensuring accessibility and minimizing displacement.
• MGNREGA includes wage indexation based on CPI?AL; revised annually, though delays in implementation affect real wage value.
• MGNREGA mandates at least one-third participation of women; in states like Tamil Nadu, female participation exceeds 80%, enhancing gender inclusion.
• MGNREGA includes social audit under Section 17; legally binding participatory monitoring mechanism to check corruption and ensure transparency.
• MGNREGA linked to land degradation; over 60% of assets created are water conservation structures, contributing to climate resilience in drought-prone areas.
• PM?KISAN launched in 2019; provides ?6,000 per year in three equal installments to landholding farmer families, covering ~140 million beneficiaries as of 2023.
• PM?KISAN excludes institutional landholders, farmers in Sikkim and Telangana (opted out), and those paying income tax, targeting small and marginal farmers.
• PM?KISAN funds transferred directly to bank accounts via DBT; reduces leakages, aligns with JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) trinity for efficient delivery.
• PM?KISAN subsumed earlier schemes like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (2018 pilot) and integrates with e?NAM for broader agricultural support.
• PM Awas Yojana (Gramin) launched in 2016, replacing IAY; targets "Housing for All" by 2024 with pucca houses for rural homeless and kutcha house upgraders.
• PMAY?G uses Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 data for beneficiary identification; excludes households with certain exclusion criteria (e.g., motor vehicles, government jobs).
• PMAY?G provides ?1.20 lakh (?1.30 lakh in hilly/difficult areas) per house; split as ?70,000 (?75,000) and ?30,000 (?35,000) in two instalments, with third for completion.
• PMAY?G mandates beneficiary contribution of ?25,000 in plain areas, ?35,000 in hilly zones, promoting ownership and cost-sharing.
• PM Awas Yojana (Urban) launched 2015; targets affordable housing for urban poor through slum rehabilitation, credit-linked subsidy, and in?situ redevelopment.
• PMAY?U includes CLSS (Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme) for EWS/LIG/MIG; interest subsidy up to ?2.67 lakh per house, reducing EMI burden.
• Ayushman Bharat launched in 2018 as part of National Health Policy 2017; two components: Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and PMJAY.
• PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) subsumes RSBY and ESIS schemes; provides ?5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
• PMJAY covers over 100 million poor and vulnerable families (~500 million beneficiaries), identified from SECC 2011 data, enabling portability across states.
• PMJAY empaneled both public and private hospitals; as of 2023, over 27,000 hospitals empaneled, facilitating access to private healthcare infrastructure.
• PMJAY uses ABHA (Ayushman Bharat Health Account) number for digital health records, linked to National Health Authority (NHA) for centralized monitoring.
• MGNREGA wage rates vary by state; determined by State Governments subject to central floor rate, leading to inter-state disparities (e.g., ?230–?350/day in 2023).
• PM?KISAN initially excluded landless laborers; focus on landholders limits coverage of agricultural workforce, creating overlap with MGNREGA beneficiaries.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate – schemes are frequently tested in combination with governance, federalism, and fiscal federalism; requires precise knowledge of funding patterns, targeting, and overlaps.

Common UPSC Traps

Trap: PM Awas Yojana is a single scheme for both rural and urban areas – Fact: PMAY has two distinct components: PMAY?G (Ministry of Rural Development) and PMAY?U (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs), differing in implementation, funding, and criteria.
Trap: PM?KISAN covers all farmers including landless laborers – Fact: PM?KISAN targets landholding families only; landless laborers are excluded, covered instead under MGNREGA or state schemes.
Trap: Ayushman Bharat provides cash benefits to beneficiaries – Fact: PMJAY is a health insurance scheme with cashless treatment at empaneled hospitals; no direct cash transfer to individuals.
Trap: MGNREGA guarantees employment to every rural individual – Fact: MGNREGA guarantees employment to adult members of a household who volunteer, but only up to 100 days per household per year.
Trap: PMJAY is fully funded by the Central Government – Fact: PMJAY funding is shared 60:40 between Centre and States (90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan states).

Practice MCQs

Question: Which of the following statements about MGNREGA is/are correct?

1. It mandates 100 days of employment per individual in rural areas.

2. At least one-third of the beneficiaries must be women.

3. Wages are fully funded by the Central Government.
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
Explanation: MGNREGA guarantees 100 days per household, not per individual; women participation mandated at one-third; wages fully funded by Centre.
Why others fail: Option D is tempting due to confusion between household and individual entitlement.

Question: PM-KISAN differs from MGNREGA in that it:
A) Targets only landless agricultural laborers
B) Provides employment as legal right
C) Uses DBT for direct income support
D) Is implemented solely by State Governments
Answer: C
Explanation: PM?KISAN provides direct income support via DBT to landholding farmers, unlike MGNREGA’s wage employment model.
Why others fail: Option A is tempting as MGNREGA covers landless laborers, but PM?KISAN excludes them.

Question: The primary objective of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is to:
A) Establish 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres by 2022
B) Provide ?5 lakh insurance cover per family per year for hospitalization
C) Subsidize premiums for private health insurance for all citizens
D) Replace all state health insurance schemes
Answer: B
Explanation: PMJAY provides ?5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization, subsuming RSBY and ESIS.
Why others fail: Option A refers to the other component of Ayushman Bharat (HWCs), not PMJAY.

Question: Which scheme uses SECC 2011 data for beneficiary identification?

1. PM?KISAN

2. PMAY?G

3. PMJAY
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: D
Explanation: All three schemes use SECC 2011 data to identify beneficiaries, ensuring targeting of deprived households.
Why others fail: Option B is tempting as PM?KISAN’s use of SECC is less publicized than PMAY or PMJAY.

Question: Consider the following:

1. Social audit is a statutory requirement under MGNREGA.

2. PMAY?U includes in-situ slum redevelopment as a component.

3. PM?KISAN provides higher amount to farmers in hilly areas.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
Explanation: Social audit is mandated under MGNREGA Section 17; PMAY?U includes in-situ redevelopment; PM?KISAN provides uniform ?6,000 across states, no hill-area differential.
Why others fail: Option D is tempting due to confusion with PMAY?G, which does have higher outlay for hilly areas.

Last?Minute Revision

• MGNREGA enacted in 2005.
• PM?KISAN launched in 2019.
• PMAY?G launched in 2016.
• PMAY?U launched in 2015.
• Ayushman Bharat launched in 2018.
• MGNREGA guarantees 100 days per household, not per person.
• PM?KISAN excludes landless laborers.
• PMJAY provides ?5 lakh per family per year.
• MGNREGA wage funding: 100% by Centre.
• PMAY?G house cost: ?1.20 lakh (?1.30 lakh in hilly areas).
• PM?KISAN amount: ?6,000/year in three instalments.
• SECC 2011 used in PM?KISAN, PMAY?G, PMJAY.
• Social audit is statutory under MGNREGA Section 17.
• PMJAY subsumes RSBY and ESIS.
• DBT used in PM?KISAN, PMJAY, PMAY.
• MGNREGA work within 5 km: no extra pay; beyond: +10% wages.
• One-third women participation mandated in MGNREGA.
• PMAY?U includes CLSS for EWS/LIG/MIG.
• ABHA number used in Ayushman Bharat for digital records.
• PMJAY funding: 60:40 (Centre:State), 90:10 for NE/Himalayan states.
• PM?KISAN does not cover Sikkim and Telangana beneficiaries.
• MGNREGA assets: >60% are water conservation structures.
• PMAY?G beneficiary contributes ?25,000 (?35,000 in hills).
• PMJAY allows inter-state portability of benefits.
• MGNREGA wage rates vary by state, based on CPI?AL.
• verify from standard source: exact number of PMJAY empaneled hospitals.