The country has an amazing number of schemes courtesy the BJP government but there is no data on how many have worked out and how many fallen by the wayside with many Indians ignorant about the schemes which could be useful to them!
Compiled by Joshua George
While the Modi government has proposed a wide range of schemes to help all sections of the community, the implementation has been very poor as dramatized by the smart city project in Panjim.
Ayushman Bharat
In September 2018, Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana-Ayushman Bharat (PMJMY). The much-touted health scheme will only provide minimum healthcare to 40% of the population or an estimated 50 cr individuals. The provision per family is only Rs 5 lakhs which will not even cover a single hospitalisation of even one member of the family.
PM UJJWALA YOJANA
The Ujjwala scheme which seeks to provide an alternative to polluting fuels like wood and coal is expected to provide 600 million LPG connections. The target of people covered will be 5 crore women below the poverty line. We are not aware if the scheme has been implemented in Goa yet. It was launched by PM Modi in May 2016 to shift people away from polluting cooking fuels and methods. The government announced that it had given over 600 million LPG connections under the scheme.
Jan Dhan Yojana
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) initiated on Independence day 2014 seeks to provide financial services at affordable costs. This will cover the beneficiaries of scholarships, subsidies, pensions and covid reimbursement. The rate of interest has not been mentioned and the scheme runs contrary to the policy of the private sector banks which have been raising tariffs for banking services. The latest shock is a 12% GST every time you apply for a chequebook
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Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched on the 145th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 2014, in order to accelerate the efforts for achieving universal sanitation across the nation. Under the mission, villages, gram panchayats, districts, states and union territories declared themselves ODF. Goa is not among the states which has declared itself ODF.
Kisan Samman Nidhi
Under the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible farmer families, payable in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000. The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The conditions for availing of the financial benefit have not been specified.
Mudra Yojana
The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is intended to provide micro finance to small-scale and mini entrepreneurs. The Mudra loans will be extended to the public sector and corporate banks. The scheme was launched by the prime minister on April 8, 2015. The remit for loans is Rs 10 lakhs. The interest rate has not been specified and it varies with the RBI prime rate.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Housing)
The Awas Yojana is expected to provide housing for all by February 2022 which is just on the eve of the next parliamentary elections. The average cost per house is expected to be less than a lakh which will only offer a room chawl. It is not clear who will build the houses.
PMJJBY and PMSBY (insurance lic)
The above refers to insurance schemes which were launched in 2015 with a view to increasing the coverage of insurance. The objective is to lower the premium to enable the underprivileged to insure businesses. But with the limit fixed at Rs 2 lakh, it may not be of any benefit to beneficiaries. Ironically the government is in the process of privatising LIC which is the largest insurance company in the country. The shares of LIC which were offered to policyholders sold by over 50% of the rate at which they were offered and the value of the LIC has come down.
Make in India
The make in India scheme aims at encouraging companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products made in India and incentivise dedicated investments into manufacturing. The policy approach was to create a conducive environment for investments, develop a modern and efficient infrastructure, and open up new sectors for foreign capital. Under the scheme, it is proposed to increase the growth of the manufacturing sector by 12% per year and generate 100 million jobs and ensure that the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the GDP increases to 25%.
Smart City Mission
The objective of the smart city project is to improve the infrastructure in selected cities in the country including Panjim in Goa. The smart city project has not been able to improve the quality of the roads or take care of the desilting of the St Inez nullah. It seems to be concerned more with fancy shopping centres and cycling tracks for the rich.
SKILL INDIA MISSION (plumber) electrician)
The main objective of the Skill India programme is to provide adequate training in market-relevant skills to over 40 crore youth by 2022. It also aims to create opportunities for the development of talent within the country and improve the overall scope and space for underdeveloped sectors.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a village development project launched by the Government of India in October 2014, under which each Member of Parliament will take responsibility for developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019. The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAANJHI) was launched on 11th October 2014.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
In 2015, the Indian government introduced the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme to address concerns about gender discrimination and women empowerment in the country. The scheme aims to educate citizens against gender bias and improve the efficacy of welfare services for girls. It was launched with initial funding of Rs. 100 crore.
Hridaya Plan
National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched on 21 January 2015 with the aim of bringing together urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation in an inclusive manner to preserve the heritage character of each Heritage City.
The Scheme expects to provide support to heritage infrastructure and improvement of urban infrastructure. The state of the roads in Goa and the reluctance to demolish a building belonging to a prominent BJP spokesperson NC Saina near the Old Goa Heritage site exposes the efficacy of the scheme.
Ujala Yojana
UJALA scheme was launched by on 1st May 2015. The UJALA scheme also known as the LED-based Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP) aims to promote the efficient usage of energy for all i.e., its consumption, savings and lighting. This scheme is considered the world’s largest program. Aims to promote efficient use of energy at the residential level. There have been no signs of supply of any led lamps which are far more expensive than filament bulbs in Goa
ATAL PENSION YOJNA
The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) was launched on 9th May 2015 to create a universal social security system for all Indians, especially the poor, the underprivileged and the workers in the unorganised sector. APY is administered by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). APY is open to all bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 40 years and the contributions differ, based on the pension amount chosen. This appears to be a scheme to generate resources for the government rather than help people financially post-retirement.
DIGITAL MISSION INDIA
Digital India is a campaign launched by the Government of India in order to ensure the Government’s services are made available to citizens electronically by improved online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity or making the country digitally empowered in the field of technology. The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks. The main beneficiaries of this will be Reliance JIo which is all set to launch 5G
STAND UP INDIA
Startup India is the Government of India’s flagship initiative to build Startups and nurture innovation. Through this initiative, the Government plans to empower Startup ventures to boost entrepreneurship, economic growth and employment across India.