RAS question
Which category of beneficiaries is primarily targeted under Stand Up India Scheme?
Correct answer: (D) Women, SC, and ST entrepreneurs.
Stand Up India primarily targets women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs for setting up greenfield enterprises.
Explanation
Stand Up India is not a general unemployment or poverty-relief scheme; it is an entrepreneurship scheme with a sharply defined beneficiary group. The PIB release says the Government approved it for promoting entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and women beneficiaries. It also states that the scheme envisages bank loans for setting up greenfield enterprises by SC/ST and women entrepreneurs, along with handholding support. That is why option D is correct: the defining eligibility focus is the entrepreneur's social category or gender, tied to a new enterprise. The phrase "greenfield enterprises" is therefore central, because the scheme is framed around creating new ventures rather than giving a generic benefit to every unemployed person or household.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) BPL families are not the stated target category in the scheme; Stand Up India identifies SC/ST and women entrepreneurs setting up greenfield enterprises.
- (B) Senior citizens are not named as a beneficiary class in the Stand Up India release, which focuses on SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.
- (C) The scheme is not for all unemployed youth; it is restricted in focus to women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs starting greenfield enterprises.
Concept
This tests targeted-credit schemes under Indian Economy, especially how welfare and financial-inclusion programmes define eligible beneficiaries. It recurs in RAS because schemes are often asked through their exact target group, not just their broad objective.