Important Government Schemes of 2023 for UPSC, SSC and Banking Exams

Important Government Schemes 2023: The Indian Government launches many initiatives for the well-being of citizens through which it tries to enhance the social, financial, and economic well-being of Indian residents. 

In this article, we aim to highlight some of the important government schemes launched in India and their impact. The sectors that are covered by these schemes include education, agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, etc.  

List of Important Government Schemes in 2023

The table below contains a list of most important schemes launched in 2023 by government for the welfare of society

Important Government Schemes

Below are some government schemes that are launched by the government to improve the quality of life of people and create better employment opportunities for the poor and weaker sections of society

Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi)

This schemes was launched under Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the achievement of this scheme has

• Over 56.5 lakh street vendors have benefited under the scheme. Out of which, 56% are male and 44% are female.
• Under PM SVANidhi, 78.99 lakh loans have been sanctioned and 74.35 lakh loans have been disbursed.
• Under PM SVANidhi, Rs. 10,432 crore has been sanctioned and Rs. 9,776 crore has been disbursed.
• Beneficiary street vendors have been given a cashback of more than Rs. 73.25 crore.
• An amount of Rs. 138.49 crore has been paid as interest subsidy.
• Over 65% of beneficiaries belong to SC/ST/OBC.

Jal Jeevan Mission – Har Ghar Jal

This schemes was launched under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the achievement of this scheme has

• 13.74 crore (71.42%) rural households in the country are being provided with tap water connections.
• 154 districts, 1,570 blocks, 95,728 gram panchayats, and 1,99,675 villages have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’.
• 9 States/UTs, which include Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, A&N Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman Diu, and Puducherry, have provided tap water connections to all rural households (100%) in the respective State/UT as of December 6, 2023. 
• Other states are fast moving and are close to achieving 100% coverage shortly. Of these, Mizoram stands at 97.55%, Bihar at 96.41%, and Arunachal Pradesh at 96.11%, which are set to become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ soon.
• As of December 6, 2023, 99,630 rainwater harvesting facilities and 1,26,037 Grey Water Reuse structures have been developed in schools across the country

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin)

This scheme was launched under the Ministry of Rural Development and aims at providing a pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless households and those households living in kutcha and dilapidated houses. The benefits of this scheme are: 

• Financial Assistance of Rs 1,20,000 per unit for plain areas and Rs 1,30,000 per unit for hilly areas, difficult areas, and IAP districts (Himalayan states, North-Eastern states, and Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir)
• A willing beneficiary can avail of institutional finance (loan) of up to Rs 70,000 at 3% lower interest rate to build a permanent house. The maximum principal amount for which subsidies can be sought is Rs 2,00,000.
• In convergence with Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), the beneficiaries get financial assistance of up to Rs 12,000 for the construction of toilets.

Kisan Credit Card (KCC)

The KCC scheme was introduced to financially support farmers in their agricultural operations. The Government of India provides an interest subvention of 2% and a prompt repayment incentive of 3% to the farmers, thus making the credit available at a very subsidised rate of 4% per annum. The benefits of the scheme includes

• To meet the short term credit requirements for the cultivation of crops.
• Post-harvest expenses.
• Produce a marketing loan.
• Consumption requirements of a farmer’s household.
• Working capital for the maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to agriculture.
• Investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)

This is a small deposit scheme launched exclusively for girls. SSY was launched as a part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign. The scheme is meant to meet the education and marriage expenses of a girl child. One can apply for SSY through post offices or through the branches of public sector banks and three private sector banks, viz., HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank. The benefits of this scheme includes

• The minimum investment is ₹250 per annum, and the maximum investment is Rs 1,50,000 per annum. 
• The maturity period is 21 years. 
• The principal amount deposited, interest earned during the entire tenure, and maturity benefits are tax-exempt under Section 80C.
• The account can be transferred anywhere in India, from one post office/Bank to another. Interest payment even after maturity if the account is not closed.
• A premature withdrawal of up to 50% of the investment is allowed after the child reaches the age of 18 years, even if she is not getting married.

Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan Yojana

This programme provides affordable and quality healthcare solutions to pregnant women and newborns. Under this scheme, pregnant women, sick newborns, and mothers receive zero expense access up to six months after delivery. This scheme offers zero expenses and access to the detection and management of complications during and after pregnancy. The benefits include

• The scheme allows zero expense delivery and C-section facilities at public health facilities.  
• Beneficiaries will get four antenatal check-ups, one check-up during the 1st trimester, and one check-up under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan.  
• The scheme also covers Tetanus-Diphtheria injection iron-folic acid supplementation, six home-based newborn care visits, and components of the ANC package.  
• Pregnant women will get free transport from home to the health facility and will get dropped off after discharge.
• Counselling and IEC/BCC facilities for safe motherhood Pregnant women will receive hassle-free access to all medical facilities.

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana

Ayushman Bharat is an attempt to move from a sectoral and segmented approach to health service delivery to a comprehensive, need-based health care service. AB PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme in the world and aims at providing a health cover of ₹ 5,00,000 per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to over 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) that form the bottom 40% of the Indian population. The major benefits includes

• Medical examination, treatment, and consultation
• Pre-hospitalisation
• Medicine and medical consumables
• Non-intensive and intensive care services
• Diagnostic and laboratory investigations
• Medical implantation services (where necessary)
• Accommodation benefits
• Food services
• Complications arising during treatment
• Post-hospitalization follow-up care up to 15 days

Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM-SYM)

This scheme is for unorganised workers (UW) whose age is between 18 and 40 years and whose monthly income is up to Rs 15000. The benefits include

• A minimum assured pension of Rs 3000/- per month after attaining the age of 60 years.
• Once the applicant reaches the age of 60, he/ she can claim the pension amount. Every month, a fixed pension amount gets deposited in the pension account of the respective individual.
• If the applicant dies before age of 60, the spouse will be entitled to continue the scheme and shall be entitled to receive 50% of the amount.
• If he/she exits the scheme within a period of less than 10 years, the beneficiary’s share of contribution will only be returned to him at the savings bank interest rate.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana aims to achieve the following goals like improving the child sex ratio, ensuring gender equality and women empowerment, preventing gender-biased, sex-selective elimination, ensuring the survival and protection of the girl child, and encouraging education and participation of the girl child. The benefits of the scheme includes

• Digital Guddi-Gudda Board: A digital platform for exhibiting gender disparity in birth rates and providing information on schemes and programmes created for safeguarding the girl child
• Udaan – Sapne Di Duniya De Rubaru: Initiative offering girls an opportunity to shadow professionals in fields of their choice
• My Aim, My Target Campaign: Recognition programme to felicitate top academic performances by girls in higher secondary schools 
• Lakshya Se Rubaru: Internship Programme for female students in Colleges—for encouraging them to make informed decisions about their Careers
• Noor Jeevan Ka Betiyan: A week-long campaign celebrated with gender empowerment theme-based interactive activities organised in Panchayats, schools, and colleges
• Bitiya and Birba: Awareness campaign on the BBBP initiative, along with environmental protection. Under this, each mother of a newly born girl child is celebrated and honoured with a plant
• Aao School Chalein: Enrolment campaign involving door-to-door visits and registrations to ensure 100% enrolment of girls in schools
• Collector Ki Class: Initiative offering free coaching classes and career counselling for underprivileged girls in public schools and colleges
• Bal Cabinet: Youth leadership programme where girl students simulate government cabinets and ministerial roles to discuss and resolve issues