Government scheme

Government schemes appear in every General Studies paper, and they are asked in a specific way: what the scheme changes, who it excludes, and whether it has delivered. Memorising launch years and outlays is the least useful preparation available.
What earns marks is the shape of a scheme — the benefit, the eligibility rule, the delivery route, the funding split between Union and state, and the failure mode. Two schemes with similar aims often differ entirely in who can actually claim, and that difference is what a question tests.
Central and state schemes are covered here with eligibility, mechanism and implementation record, updated as figures are revised.