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Economy

Current Affairs Integration

Welfare Schemes: SC/ST, Backward Classes, Minorities, Disabled, Women, Children, Elderly

Paper I · Unit 2 Section 15 of 17 0 PYQs 50 min
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Current Affairs Integration

Recent Developments

  • Lado Protsahan Yojana launch (August 2024): Rajasthan government's flagship girl-child welfare scheme providing ₹1,50,000 in 7 instalments from birth to graduation. First major disbursement of ₹7.50 crore to 30,000 girls on Rajasthan Diwas (30 March 2025) confirmed operational rollout.

  • Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme (October 2024): PM Modi launched universal ₹5 lakh health cover for all Indians aged 70+, irrespective of income. By December 2025, 96.73 lakh cards issued and 7.89 lakh hospital admissions (₹1,741 crore) authorized — highest scheme uptake by elderly in India's health insurance history.

  • Revamped Stand Up India (September 2025): Loan limit doubled to ₹2 crore for SC/ST/Women greenfield enterprises; online skill-building component added. Cumulative disbursement ₹62,807 crore to 2.75 lakh beneficiaries since 2016. Rajasthan had sanctioned ₹587.16 crore to 2,675 SC/ST/Women beneficiaries under earlier version.

  • Rajasthan Budget 2026-27 (February 11, 2026): Announced Raj-PAHAL (mobile schools for nomadic children), enhanced MNSUPY loan ceiling to ₹1 crore for SHG clusters, Vivekananda Scholarship for meritorious girls, and CM-RISE (400 world-class government schools with ₹1,000 crore budget).

  • RPWD Act implementation audit (2024-25): National monitoring shows states lag in providing 4% job reservations to PwD; Rajasthan's Jan Aadhaar-UDID integration cited as a model for identification; ADIP device distribution camps accelerated in 2024-25.

  • Waqf (Amendment) Act 2024: Significant governance reform in minority welfare; mandatory survey and database of waqf properties; limits on Board power to declare property as waqf unilaterally; District Collector oversight for new waqf declarations. Contested politically but Supreme Court upheld constitutional validity of key provisions.

  • Van Dhan Vikas Kendras expansion (2024-25): TRIFED expanded VDVKs in Rajasthan's tribal districts (Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh) — benefiting tribal communities through NTFP value addition and market linkage.

Potential Exam Questions from Current Affairs

  1. Possible question: "What are the objectives and key features of the Lado Protsahan Yojana? How does it differ from Mukhyamantri Rajshri Yojana?"
    Answer pointers: Lado = ₹1,50,000 in 7 instalments (birth to graduation); Rajshri = ₹50,000 in 6 instalments (birth to Class 12 pass); Lado targets EWS families specifically; Rajshri universal for all girls born in govt hospital; both route through Jan Aadhaar DBT; Lado adds ₹70,000 at graduation as higher education incentive.

  2. Possible question: "What is Ayushman Vay Vandana? Evaluate its significance for elderly welfare in India."
    Answer pointers: Universal ₹5 lakh cover for 70+; no income bar; 96.73 lakh cards by Dec 2025; 2,000 procedures, 27 specialties; significant because excludes no senior citizen unlike earlier income-tested PM-JAY; 6 crore seniors in 4.5 crore families as target; existing PM-JAY beneficiaries get additional ₹5 lakh top-up.

  3. Possible question: "Explain the Van Dhan Vikas Kendra model of tribal welfare. How does it connect to TRIFED?"
    Answer pointers: VDVK = cluster of 15-20 SHGs (~300 tribal beneficiaries); value addition to NTFP (mahua, tendu, bamboo, lac); TRIFED (national tribal marketing federation) provides market linkage; Rajasthan VDVKs in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh; connects tribal livelihood to market without middlemen; part of FRA 2006's community rights framework.

Topic 39 of 138 | Paper I, Unit 2 — Economics | Generated: 2026-04-06