Unit II – Syllabus

Rural Institutions: Traditional rural organizations, Self-help groups,

Panchayati raj institutions (Gram Sabha, Gram Panchayat, Standing
Committees), local civic society, local administration

Rural Development Programmes: History of rural development in India,

current national programmes: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Beti Bacho – Beti
Padhao, Ayushman Bharat, Swatchh Bharat, PM Awaas Yojana, Skill India,
Grama Panchayat Decentralised Planning, NRLM, MNREGA, etc.
 Rural Institutions
Traditional Rural Organizations:
‘Customary (means traditional, non-state or unofficial) Village Councils’ (CVCs) were common and
widespread in rural India and a few of them are still in continuity making impact in rural
administration. CVCs are found in almost every village. While continuing to resolve local disputes
and exercise limited judicial authority, they are actively taking on new roles, especially developmental
and electoral roles; becoming more pluralist and democratic; and providing a wide range of services
that are positively valued by villagers, especially by women. CVCs often interact closely and
synergistically with the formal, elected local councils (Grama Panchayats). This closely parallels
other findings from empirical social science research in India: an informal, ‘traditional’ institution,
believed by intellectuals and elites to be disappearing into the dustbin of history, turns out to have
considerable staying power, to be enjoying something of a revival, and to be adapting to the
democratic element in India’s modern, formal political institutions.

The CVCs are actually rather active, and taking on a range of new roles. In particular, they interact
intensively with the new (higher-level) elected local councils (Grama Panchayats) established
throughout the country under the 1992 constitutional amendment. CVCs and Grama Panchayats
appear synergistic rather than competitive. The availability of an increasing range of resources to local
communities through government programmes creates a niche for CVCs to act as gatekeepers
between their populations and higher level electoral and bureaucratic authorities. That engagement
with higher level political institutions is tending to reshape CVCs. The CVCs actively involves in
various village level activities such as – dispute resolution, organizing village level religious activities
and collective ceremonies, social service activities such as matching funds and resources, promotion
of village infrastructure, interaction with local and government bodies encouraging democratic and
participatory mechanism in rural areas, etc.

Self-Help Groups (SHGs):

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find
ways to improve their living conditions. It can be defined as self-governed, peer-controlled
information group of people with similar socio-economic background and having a desire to
collectively perform common purpose.

In 1991-92 NABARD started promoting self-help groups on a large scale. And it was the real take-off
point for the 'SHG movement'. In 1993, the Reserve Bank of India also allowed SHGs to open saving
accounts in banks. Facility of availing bank services was a major boost to the movement.

Objectives of SHGs:
• To build the functional capacity of the poor and the marginalized in the field of
employment and income generating activities.
• To resolve conflicts through collective leadership and mutual discussion.
 • To provide collateral free loan with terms decided by the group at the market driven
rates.
• To work as a collective guarantee system for members who propose to borrow from
organised sources.
• The poor collect their savings and save it in banks. In return they receive easy access to
loans with a small rate of interest to start their micro unit enterprise.
The Need for SHGs:
• One of the reasons for rural poverty in our country is low access to credit and financial
services.
• A Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. C. Rangarajan to prepare a
comprehensive report on 'Financial Inclusion in the Country' identified four major reasons
for lack of financial inclusion:

Inability to provide collateral security,

Poor credit absorption capacity,

Inadequate reach of the institutions, and

Weak community network.
• The existence of sound community networks in villages is increasingly being recognised
as one of the most important elements of credit linkage in the rural areas.
• They help in accessing credit to the poor and thus, play a critical role in poverty
alleviation.
• They also help to build social capital among the poor, especially women. This empowers
women and gives them greater voice in the society.
• Financial independence through self-employment has many externalities such as
improved literacy levels, better health care and even better family planning.
Significance of SHGs:
• Social integrity: SHGs encourages collective efforts for combating practices like dowry,
alcoholism etc.
• Gender Equity: SHGs empowers women and inculcates leadership skill among them.
Empowered women participate more actively in gram sabha and elections. There is
evidence in this country as well as elsewhere that formation of Self-Help Groups has a
multiplier effect in improving women’s status in society as well as in the family leading to
improvement in their socio-economic condition and also enhances their self-esteem.
• Voice to Marginalized Section: Most of the beneficiaries of government schemes have
been from weaker and marginalized communities and hence their participation through
SHGs ensures social justice.
• Financial Inclusion: Priority Sector Lending norms and assurance of returns incentivize
banks to lend to SHGs. The SHG-Bank linkage programme pioneered by NABARD
has made access to credit easier and reduced the dependence on traditional money
lenders and other non-institutional sources.
• Alternate source of Employment: It eases dependency on agriculture by providing
support in setting up micro-enterprises e.g., personalised business ventures like
tailoring, grocery, and tool repair shops.

Issues faced by the SHGs:

• Lacks up-gradation of skills: Most SHGs are not making use of new technological
innovations and skills. This is because there is limited awareness with regards to new
technologies and they do not have the necessary skills to make use of the same.
Furthermore, there is a lack of effective mechanisms.
• Weak Financial Management: It is also found that in certain units the return from the
business is not properly invested further in the units, and the funds diverted for other
personal and domestic purposes like marriage, construction of house etc.
 • Inadequate Training Facilities: The training facilities given to the members of SHGs in
the specific areas of product selection, quality of products, production techniques,
managerial ability, packing, other technical knowledge are not adequate to compete with
that of strong units.
• Lack of Stability and Unity Especially among Women SHGs: In the case of SHGs
dominated by women, it is found that there is no stability of the units as many married
women are not in a position to associate with the group due to the shift of their place of
residence.
• Moreover, there is no unity among women members owing to personal reasons.
• Inadequate Financial Assistance: It is found that in most of the SHGs, the financial
assistance provided to them by the agencies concerned is not adequate to meet their
actual requirements. The financial authorities are not giving adequate subsidies to meet
even the labour cost requirements.

Role of SHGs in Women Empowerment:

 Self-help group (SHG) movement is one of the most powerful incubators of female resilience and
entrepreneurship in rural areas. It is a powerful channel for altering the social construct of
gender in villages.
 Women in rural areas are now able to create independent sources of income. While there were
many young semi-literate women who have home-grown skills, the absence of capital and
regressive social norms prevents them from taking a full plunge in any decision-making role and
setting up their own independent business.
 Women are working in multiple sectors as Business Correspondents (BC), Bank Sakhis, Kisan
Sakhis and Pashu Sakhis.

In this era of liberalization, privatization and globalization, women are more conscious for their
liberty, rights and freedom, security, social status etc., but till date they are deprived from same;
hence, they should be provided with their deserving rights and liberties with dignity. SHGs
play a very important role in the economic and social advancement of women from rural
society. Further, government programmes can be implemented through various SHGs. This will
not only improve the transparency and efficiency but also bring our society closer to 'self-
governance' as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi.

Panchayat Raj Institutions:

Panchayat Raj is a form of government at the village level where each village is
responsible for its own activities. The Amendment Act of 1992 contains provision for
passing the powers and responsibilities to the panchayat for preparation of plans for
economic development and social justice.

Creation of Panchayati Raj:

The Panchayat system in India is not purely a post-independence phenomenon. In fact, the
dominant political institution in rural India has been the village panchayat for centuries. In
ancient India, panchayats were usually elected councils with executive and judicial powers.
Foreign domination, especially Mughal and British, and the natural and forced socio-
economic changes had undermined the importance of the village panchayats. In the pre-
independence period, however, the panchayats were instruments for the dominance of the
upper castes over the rest of the village, which furthered the divide based on either the socio-
economic status or the caste hierarchy.
The evolution of the Panchayati Raj System, however, got a fillip after the attainment of
independence after the drafting of the Constitution. The Constitution of India in Article 40
enjoined: “The state shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with
such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-
government” and have upgraded them from non-justifiable to justifiable part of the
constitution and has put constitutional obligation upon states to enact the Panchayati Raj Acts
as per provisions of the Part IX. However, states have been given enough freedom to take
their geographical, politico-administrative and others conditions into account while adopting
the Panchayati Raj System. Thus, a three-tier structure (village, intermediate and district
levels) of the Indian administration for rural development is called Panchayati Raj.
There were a number of committees appointed by the Government of India to study the
implementation of self-government at the rural level and also recommend steps in achieving
this goal.
The committees appointed are as follows:
• Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
• Ashok Mehta Committee
• G V K Rao Committee
• L M Singhvi Committee

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee & Panchayati Raj:

The committee was appointed in 1957, to examine and suggest measures for better working
of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service. The
committee suggested the establishment of a democratic decentralised local government which
came to be known as the Panchayati Raj.
Recommendations by the Committee:
• Three-tier Panchayati Raj system: Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila
Parishad.
• Directly elected representatives to constitute the gram panchayat and indirectly
elected representatives to constitute the Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.
• Planning and development are the primary objectives of the Panchayati Raj system.
• Panchayat Samiti should be the executive body and Zila Parishad will act as the
advisory and supervisory body.
• District Collector to be made the chairman of the Zila Parishad.
• It also requested for provisioning resources so as to help them discharge their duties
and responsibilities.
The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee further revitalised the development of panchayats in the
country, the report recommended that the Panchayati Raj institutions can play a substantial
role in community development programmes throughout the country. The objective of the
Panchayats thus was the democratic decentralisation through the effective participation of
locals with the help of well-planned programmes. Even the then Prime Minister of India,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, defended the panchayat system by saying, “. . . authority and power
must be given to the people in the villages …. Let us give power to the panchayats.”

Ashok Mehta Committee & Panchayati Raj:

The committee was appointed in 1977 to suggest measures to revive and strengthen the
declining Panchayati Raj system in India.
The key recommendations are:
 • The three-tier system should be replaced with a two-tier system: Zila Parishad (district
level) and the Mandal Panchayat (a group of villages).
• District level as the first level of supervision after the state level.
• Zila Parishad should be the executive body and responsible for planning at the district
level.
• The institutions (Zila Parishad and the Mandal Panchayat) to have compulsory
taxation powers to mobilise their own financial resources.

G V K Rao Committee & Panchayati Raj:

The committee was appointed by the planning commission in 1985. It recognised that
development was not seen at the grassroot level due to bureaucratisation resulting in
Panchayat Raj institutions being addressed as ‘grass without roots’. Hence, it made some key
recommendations which are as follows:
• Zila Parishad to be the most important body in the scheme of democratic
decentralisation. Zila Parishad to be the principal body to manage the developmental
programmes at the district level.
• The district and the lower levels of the Panchayati Raj system to be assigned with
specific planning, implementation and monitoring of the rural developmental
programmes.
• Post of District Development Commissioner to be created. He will be the chief
executive officer of the Zila Parishad.
• Elections to the levels of Panchayati Raj systems should be held regularly.

L M Singhvi Committee & Panchayati Raj:

The committee was appointed by the Government of India in 1986 with the main objective to
recommend steps to revitalise the Panchayati Raj systems for democracy and development.
The following recommendations were made by the committee:
• The committee recommended that the Panchayati Raj systems should be
constitutionally recognised. It also recommended constitutional provisions to
recognise free and fair elections for the Panchayati Raj systems.
• The committee recommended reorganisation of villages to make the gram panchayat
more viable.
• It recommended that village panchayats should have more finances for their activities.
• Judicial tribunals to be set up in each state to adjudicate matters relating to the
elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions and other matters relating to their
functioning.
All these things further the argument that panchayats can be very effective in identifying and
solving local problems, involve the people in the villages in the developmental activities,
improve the communication between different levels at which politics operates, develop
leadership skills and in short help the basic development in the states without making too
many structural changes. Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh were the first to adopt Panchayati raj
in 1959, other states followed them later.

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992:

The 73rd Amendment 1992 added a new Part IX to the constitution titled “The Panchayats”
covering provisions from Article 243 to 243(O); and a new Eleventh Schedule covering 29
subjects within the functions of the Panchayats.
Rural development is one of the main objectives of Panchayati Raj and this has been
established in all states of India except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, in all Union
Territories except Delhi and certain other areas. These areas include:
a. The scheduled areas and the tribal areas in the states
b. The hill area of Manipur for which a district council exists and
c. Darjeeling district of West Bengal for which Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council exists

Significance of the Act:

• The Act added Part IX to the Constitution, “The Panchayats” and also added the
Eleventh Schedule which consists of the 29 functional items of the panchayats.
• Part IX of the Constitution contains Article 243 to Article 243 O.
• The Amendment Act provides shape to Article 40 of the Constitution, (directive
principles of state policy), which directs the state to organise the village panchayats
and provide them powers and authority so that they can function as self-government.
• With the Act, Panchayati Raj systems come under the purview of the justiciable part
of the Constitution and mandates states to adopt the system. Further, the election
process in the Panchayati Raj institutions will be held independent of the state
government’s will.
• The Act has two parts: compulsory and voluntary. Compulsory provisions must be
added to state laws which include the creation of the new Panchayati Raj systems.
Voluntary provisions, on the other hand, are the discretion of the state government.
• The Act is a very significant step in creating democratic institutions at the grassroots
level in the country. The Act has transformed the representative democracy into
participatory democracy.
Salient Features of the Act:
1. Gram Sabha: Gram Sabha is the primary body of the Panchayati Raj system. It is a
village assembly consisting of all the registered voters within the area of the
panchayat. Further, Gram Sabha is the only permanent unit in Panchayati Raj system
and not constituted for a particular period. Although it serves as foundation of the
Panchayati Raj, yet it is not among the three tiers of the same. It will exercise powers
and perform such functions as determined by the state legislature. Candidates can
refer to the functions of gram panchayat and gram panchayat work, on the
government official website – https://grammanchitra.gov.in/.
2. Three-tier system: The Act provides for the establishment of the three-tier system of
Panchayati Raj in the states (village, intermediate and district level). States with a
population of less than 20 lakhs may not constitute the intermediate level.
3. Election of members and chairperson: The members to all the levels of the
Panchayati Raj are elected directly and the chairpersons to the intermediate and the
district level are elected indirectly from the elected members and at the village level
the Chairperson is elected as determined by the state government.
4. Reservation of seats:
• For SC and ST: Reservation to be provided at all the three tiers in accordance
with their population percentage.
• For women: Not less than one-third of the total number of seats to be reserved
for women, further not less than one-third of the total number of offices for
chairperson at all levels of the panchayat to be reserved for women.
 • The state legislatures are also given the provision to decide on the reservation
of seats in any level of panchayat or office of chairperson in favour of
backward classes.
5. Duration of Panchayat:
The Act provides for a five-year term of office to all the levels of the panchayat.
However, the panchayat can be dissolved before the completion of its term. But fresh
elections to constitute the new panchayat shall be completed –
• before the expiry of its five-year duration.
• in case of dissolution, before the expiry of a period of six months from the
date of its dissolution.
6. Disqualification:
Article 243F makes provisions for disqualifications from the membership. . As per
this article, any person who is qualified to become an MLA is qualified to become a
member of the Panchayat, but for Panchayat the minimum age prescribed is 21
years. A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as or for being a member of
panchayat if he is so disqualified –
• Under any law for the time being in force for the purpose of elections to the
legislature of the state concerned.
• Under any law made by the state legislature. However, no person shall be
disqualified on the ground that he is less than 25 years of age if he has attained
the age of 21 years.
• Further, all questions relating to disqualification shall be referred to an
authority determined by the state legislatures.
7. State election commission:
• The commission is responsible for superintendence, direction and control of
the preparation of electoral rolls and conducting elections for the panchayat.
• The state legislature may make provisions with respect to all matters relating
to elections to the panchayats.
• Article 243K enshrines the provisions with respect to elections of the
Panchayats. This article provides for constitution of a State Election
Commission in respect of the Panchayats. This State Election Commission
would have the power to supervise, direct and control the elections to the
Panchayats and also prepare the electoral rolls. The article maintains the
independence of the election commission by making provisions that the
election commissioner of this commissioner would be removed only by
manner and on same grounds as a Judge of the High Court.
• If there is a dispute in the Panchayat elections, the Courts have NO jurisdiction
over them. This means that the Panchayat election can be questioned only in
the form of an election petition presented to an authority which the State
legislature by law can prescribe. (Important) The election commissioner for
this reason is to be appointed by the Governor. The terms and conditions of
the office of the Election commissioners have also to be decided by the
Governor.
8. Powers and Functions: The state legislature may endow the Panchayats with such
powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of
self-government. Such a scheme may contain provisions related to Gram Panchayat
work with respect to:
• the preparation of plans for economic development and social justice.
 • the implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice
as may be entrusted to them, including those in relation to the 29 matters listed
in the Eleventh Schedule. These 29 subjects are listed below:
11th Schedule of the Constitution
1. Agriculture, including agricultural extension. 16. Poverty alleviation programme.
2. Land improvement, implementation of land reforms,
17. Education, including primary and secondary schools.
land consolidation and soil conservation.
3. Minor irrigation, water management and watershed
18. Technical training and vocational education.
development.
4. Animal husbandry, dairying and poultry. 19. Adult and non-formal education.
5. Fisheries. 20. Libraries.
6. Social forestry and farm forestry. 21. Cultural activities.
7. Minor forest produce. 22. Markets and fairs.
8. Small scale industries, including food processing 23. Health and sanitation, including hospitals, primary health
industries. centers and dispensaries.
9. Khadi, village and cottage industries. 24. Family welfare.
10. Rural housing. 25. Women and child development.
26. Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and
11. Drinking water.
mentally retarded.
27. Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the
12. Fuel and fodder.
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
13. Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways and
28. Public distribution system.
other means of communication.
14. Rural electrification, including distribution of
29. Maintenance of community assets.
electricity.
15. Non-conventional energy sources.

Further, the state legislature can authorize the Panchayats to collect and appropriate
suitable local taxes and provide grant in aids to the Panchayats from the Consolidated
Funds of the states.
9. Finances: The state legislature may –
• Authorize a panchayat to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and
fees.
• Assign to a panchayat taxes, duties, tolls and fees levied and collected by the
state government.
• Provide for making grants-in-aid to the panchayats from the consolidated fund
of the state.
• Provide for the constitution of funds for crediting all money of the panchayats.
10. Finance Commission: The state finance commission reviews the financial position of
the panchayats and provides recommendations for the necessary steps to be taken to
supplement resources to the panchayat.
11. Audit of Accounts: State legislature may make provisions for the maintenance and
audit of panchayat accounts.
12. Application to Union Territories: The President may direct the provisions of the Act
to be applied on any union territory subject to exceptions and modifications he
specifies.
13. Exempted states and areas: The Act does not apply to the states of Nagaland,
Meghalaya and Mizoram and certain other areas. These areas include,
• The scheduled areas and the tribal areas in the states
• The hill area of Manipur for which a district council exists
 • Darjeeling district of West Bengal for which Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
exists.
However, Parliament can extend this part to these areas subject to the
exception and modification it specifies. Thus, the PESA Act was enacted.

Continuance of existing law: All the state laws relating to panchayats shall continue to be in
force until the expiry of one year from the commencement of this Act. In other words, the
states have to adopt the new Panchayati raj system based on this Act within the maximum
period of one year from 24 April 1993, which was the date of the commencement of this Act.
However, all the Panchayats existing immediately before the commencement of the Act shall
continue till the expiry of their term, unless dissolved by the state legislature sooner.

Bar to interference by courts: Article 243 O bars the courts to interfere in the Panchayat
Matters. The validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment
of seats to such constituencies cannot be questioned in a court. No election to any Panchayat
is to be questioned except by an election petition presented to such authority and in such
manner as provided by the state legislature. To be more specific, the Act bars the courts from
interfering in the electoral matters of panchayats. It declares that the validity of any law
relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats to such constituencies
cannot be questioned in any court. It further lays down that no election to any panchayat is to
be questioned except by an election petition presented to such authority and in such manner
as provided by the state legislature.

Though there are variations among states, there are some features that are common. In most
of the states, for example, a three-tier structure including panchayats at the village level,
panchayat samitis at the block level and the zila parishads at the district level-has been
institutionalized. Due to the sustained effort of the civil society organisations, intellectuals
and progressive political leaders, the Parliament passed two amendments to the Constitution
– the 73 Constitution Amendment for rural local bodies (panchayats) and the
rd

74 Constitution Amendment Act, 1993 for urban local bodies (in three tier system : Nagara
th

Panchayat, Muncipal Council, Muncipal Corporations) making them ‘institutions of self-

government’. Within a year all the states passed their own acts in conformity to the amended
constitutional provisions.

PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act of 1996:

The provisions of Part IX are not applicable to the Fifth Schedule areas. The Parliament can
extend this Part to such areas with modifications and exceptions as it may specify. Under
these provisions, Parliament enacted Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the
Scheduled Areas) Act, popularly known as PESA Act or the extension act.
Objectives of the PESA Act:

1. To extend the provisions of Part IX to the scheduled areas.

2. To provide self-rule for the tribal population.
3. To have village governance with participatory democracy.
4. To evolve participatory governance consistent with the traditional practices.
5. To preserve and safeguard traditions and customs of tribal population.
6. To empower panchayats with powers conducive to tribal requirements.
7. To prevent panchayats at a higher level from assuming powers and authority of
panchayats at a lower level.
As a result of these constitutional steps taken by the union and state governments, India has
moved towards what has been described as ‘multi-level federalism’, and more significantly, it
has widened the democratic base of the Indian polity. Before the amendments, the Indian
democratic structure through elected representatives was restricted to the two houses of
Parliament, state assemblies and certain union territories. The system has brought governance
and issue redressal to the grass-root levels in the country but there are other issues too. These
issues, if addressed, will go a long way in creating an environment where some of the basic
human rights are respected.
After the new generation of panchayats had started functioning, several issues have come to
the fore, which have a bearing on human rights. The important factor which has contributed
to the human rights situation vis-a-vis the panchayat system is the nature of Indian society,
which of course determines the nature of the state. Indian society is known for its inequality,
social hierarchy and the rich and poor divide. The social hierarchy is the result of the caste
system, which is unique to India. Therefore, caste and class are the two factors, which
deserve attention in this context.
Thus, the local governance system has challenged the age old practices of hierarchy in the
rural areas of the country particularly those related to caste, religion and discrimination
against women.
The Standing Committees:
The major standing committees of Panchayat raj system/Zilla Panchayat include:
• Ward Development Committee
• General Standing Committee
• Finance, Audit and Planning Committee
• Social Justice Committee
• Educational and Health Committee
• Agricultural and Industries Committee

Local Civic Society:

Civil society comprises organizations that are not associated with government and civil
society organizations play multiple roles in local civic society. Civil society, acting on its
own and in collaboration with government and business, is facing a herculean task of
stemming the impact on society and economies, not just in developing but also in developed
countries. The Civic Society Organizations (CSOs) include non-government organizations
(NGOs), professional associations, foundations, independent research institutes, community-
based organizations (CBOs), faith-based/religious organizations, people's organizations,
social movement organizations, labour/trade unions, academia, non-profit organizations
(NPOs), private voluntary organizations (PVOs), clubs (sport, social, charities, activist
groups, etc.), community organizations, co-operatives, consumers organizations, support
groups, voluntary associations, etc.

They are an important source of information for both citizens and government. They monitor
government policies and actions and hold government accountable. They engage in advocacy
and offer alternative policies for government, the private sector, and other institutions. They
deliver services, especially to the poor and underserved. They defend citizen rights and work
to change and uphold social norms and behaviours.

Local Administration:
There is a special type of local governance in the Indian villages known as Panchayat Raj. But
even these officials need help carrying out their policies. This is when the government officers
come in. They carry out different functions in villages- from delivering justice to measuring
land. Therefore, in this article, we will be looking at the different types of officers who are in
charge of rural administration in India.

Patwari (Land Measurer) holds a record book of details like the map of the land, the crops that
are grown there, the owner’s name, etc. In case of a confusion regarding the border between two
different plots, the farmers can approach the Patwari of the village and get the confusion solved.
He is usually in charge of a group of villages.

We read the work of a Patwari above, but who keeps them in check? In India, the states are
divided into districts and each district further subdivided into areas called Tehsils or Taluks. The
head of those areas is respectively known as Tehsildar or Talukdar.

These people supervise the work of smaller officers like Patwaris mentioned above. They also
look at the general law and order of their areas and also solve disputes that arise. These officers
are also in charge of handing our community certificates to villagers, like a Schedule Tribe
certificate.

There are the officers – District Collectors - who are the head of a district in a state who
supervise the overall functioning of the district. A majority of them get the position by clearing
the tough UPSC exam for IAS officers.

The Police force helps in maintaining law, order and peace in the society. Similarly, there are
various government officers who are in- charge of solving different problems that arise from
time to time in the local administration.

Rural Development Programmes

Rural development usually refers to the method of enhancing the quality of life and financial
well-being of individuals, specifically living in populated and remote areas.
Traditionally, rural development was centred on the misuse of land-intensive natural
resources such as forestry and agriculture. However today, the increasing urbanisation and
the change in global production networks have transformed the nature of rural areas.
Rural development still remains the core of the overall development of the country. More
than two-third of the country’s people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, and
one-third of rural India is still below the poverty line. Therefore, it is important for the
government to be productive and provide enough facilities to upgrade their standard of living.
Rural development is a term that concentrates on the actions taken for the development of
rural areas to improve the economy. However, few areas that demand more focused attention
and new initiatives are:
 • Education
• Public health and Sanitation
• Women empowerment
• Infrastructure development (electricity, irrigation, etc.)
• Facilities for agriculture extension and research
• Availability of credit
• Employment opportunities

Importance of Rural Development:

Rural development is important not only for the majority of the population residing in rural
areas, but also for the overall economic expansion of the nation.
Rural development is considered to be of noticeable importance in the country today than in
the olden days in the process of the evolution of the nation. It is a strategy that tries to obtain
an improved and productivity, higher socio-economic equality and ambition, and stability in
social and economic development.
The primary task is to decrease the famine that exists in roughly about 70 percent of the rural
population, and to make sufficient and healthy food available.
The secondary task is to ensure the availability of clothing, a clean environment and house,
medical attention, recreational provision, education, transport, and communication.

Objectives of Rural Development:

The objectives composed by the government in the sixth five-year plan for rural development
are:
• To improve productivity and wages of rural people
• To guarantee increased and quick employment possibilities
• To demolish unemployment and bring a notable decline in underemployment
• To guarantee an increase in the standard of living of the underprivileged population
• To provide the basic needs: elementary education, healthcare, clean drinking water,
rural roads, etc.
History of Rural Development in India:
The development of rural areas in India is regarded significant both socially and
economically. It has been observed that the rural population and density of population has
been increasing. It is evident that the land under agriculture has also declining. Rural
development is a complicated area, despite the advancements taking place in technology and
the availability of resources. Rural development has a long history in India. This concept is
not novice, particularly within the developing countries. The reason being, many developing
countries have been practicing and promoting rural development for decades. Most of them
have achieved success in the fields of education, health care, family welfare, poverty
eradication, generation of self-employment, farm management and production, rural
technologies and so forth.
The historical background of any activity or program provides its genesis, which may direct
the authorities for the effective implementation in future. Many programs of rural
development were put into operation with the main purpose of bringing about development of
rural communities. It has been unfortunate to find out that most of them were not successful.
This has been the result of ineffective and inappropriate implementation. These programs
could not make provision of complete benefits to the society. Therefore, the changing theme
of rural development and the associated schemes, which have been implemented by the
central government for the up-gradation of socio-economic conditions of the individuals’
need to be implemented in an appropriate manner. In order to enhance socio-economic
conditions of the individuals, it is vital to eradicate poverty and unemployment. Furthermore,
improvements need to be brought about in the system of education and employment
opportunities.
In India, the concept of rural development is turning out to be more complicated, despite of
the advancements taking place in technology, the availability of resources and the continued
efforts from the pre-independence period.
Early efforts, putting emphasis upon rural development were initiated by Shri Rabindranath
Tagore in 1908. S.K. Dey (rightly recognised as Father of Rural Development in India)
appears to have been influenced, on the one hand, by Rabindranath Tagore's Shantiniketan
experiment for Rural Development and, on the other, by the Gandhian idea of Rural
Construction, which laid stress on self-sufficiency and manual labour.
Various programs were initiated to bring about development of rural areas in the pre-
independence period. These are, Sriniketan Experiment, The Martandam Experiment, The
Gurgaon Experiment, Gandhian Constructive Program Sewagram, Rural Reconstruction
Programs in Baroda and The Firka Development Scheme. The three important programs that
were formulated with the main aim of rural construction in the post-independence period are,
The Etawah Pilot Project, The Nilokheri Experiment, and The Bhoodan Movement. After the
country achieved its independence, there were establishment of five year plans, which
focused upon rural development. In all five year plans, there were formulation of measures
and programs that put emphasis upon development of rural communities.
Another aspect that has been taken into account is Mahatma Gandhi and rural development.
The major areas that have been taken into consideration by Gandhi to bring about
development of the rural communities are, sarvodaya, village development, all-round village
service, samagragramseva, arts and crafts, economic reorganization, non-violent economy,
food reform, power machinery and panchayat raj. The programs and projects that are initiated
to bring about development of rural communities are primarily focused upon enhancement of
the agricultural sector, improvements in farming practices, eradication of poverty,
backwardness, illiteracy and unemployment, bringing about development of the education
system, generating employment opportunities for rural individuals, promoting health care and
medical facilities, improvements in the administrative functions and leadership abilities
among the individuals, providing equal opportunities to all and eliminating discriminatory
treatment, particularly regarding women and girls. When the individuals will be able to
acquire an efficient understanding in terms of the measures and strategies, then development
of rural communities would take place in an efficient manner.
The Land Reform Measures (Abolition of Zamindari system, Tenancy Reforms, Re-
organization of Land holdings), Green Revolution and promotion of Cooperatives (Co-
operative movement) brought drastic changes in rural development in India.

Current National Programmes:

Some of the major current national programmes aiming at rural development and focussed on
improving living standard of rural and urban poor/economically weaker sections (EWS) of
the society are:
1. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan:

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of

Government of India to attain Universal Elementary Education (UEE), covering the entire
country in a mission mode. SSA has been launched in 2001-2002 in partnership with the
State Governments and Local Self Governments. SSA is also an attempt to provide an
opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children through provision of community
-owned quality education in a mission mode. It is a response to the demand for quality basic
education all over the country. "School Chalen Hum" Poem was written by Mehboob to
promote the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) program.
As an intervention programme, it started in 2002 and SSA has been operational since 2000-
2001. DPEP, over several phases, covered 272 districts in 18 states of the country. The
expenditure on the programme was shared by the Central Government (85%) and the State
Governments (15%). The Central share was funded by a number of external agencies,
including the World Bank, Department for International Development (DFID)
and UNICEF. By 2001, more than $1500 million had been committed to the programme and
50 million children covered in its ambit. In an impact assessment of Phase I of DPEP, the
authors concluded that its net impact on minority children was impressive, while there was
little evidence of any impact on the enrolment of girls. Nevertheless, they concluded that the
investment in DPEP was not a waste, because it introduced a new approach to primary school
interventions in India.

The Right to Education Act (RTE) came into force on 1 April 2010. Some educationists and
policy makers believe that, with the passing of this act, SSA has acquired the necessary legal
force for its implementation.
Objectives of SSA:
The SSA scheme is designed to improve curriculum, educational planning, teacher education,
and management. The main goals of the SSA program are as follows:
• To establish new schools in such habitations with no schooling facilities.
• To arrange for alternative schooling facilities.
• To strengthen the existing school infrastructure by providing additional classrooms,
toilets, and drinking water facilities.
• To give quality elementary education and life skills to the students
• To manage maintenance grants and school improvement grants.
• To provide uniforms and free textbooks to the school children.
• To provide and increase the strength of teachers by appointing additional teachers in
schools with a shortage of teachers.
• To promote girls’ education to bring a change in the status of women.
• To promote the education of children with special needs or differently-abled children.
• To promote equal education opportunity to children of households belonging to SC/ST,
landless agricultural labourers, the Muslim minority, etc.
• To understand the educational requirements of the children of traditionally excluded
categories.
• To bridge the digital divide by giving computer education to school children.
• To strengthen and enhance the capacity and skills of the existing school teachers through
extensive training, grants for developing materials for teachers-learning and maintaining
academic support structure at a block, cluster, and district level.
Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat is a nationwide sub-programme of Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan. Children who fail to read in early education lag behind in other subjects. The
programme is designed to improve comprehensive early reading, writing and early
mathematics programme for children in Classes I and II. Under this programme, Rs.762
crore (US$95 million) was approved to States. The programme will not only provide print
rich environment, timely distribution of books but will also include new teacher mentoring
and appraisal system. SSA has been operational since 2000-2001 to provide for a variety of
interventions for universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps
in elementary education and improving the quality of learning. SSA interventions include
inter alia, opening of new schools and alternate schooling facilities, construction of schools
and additional classrooms, toilets and drinking water, provisioning for teachers, regular
teacher in service training and academic resource support, free textbooks& uniforms and
support for improving learning achievement levels / outcome.

With the passage of the RTE Act, changes have been incorporated into the SSA approach,
strategies and norms. The changes encompass the vision and approach to elementary
education, guided by the following principles: Holistic view of education, as interpreted in
the National Curriculum Framework 2005, with implications for a systemic revamp of the
entire content and process of education with significant implications for curriculum, teacher
education, educational planning and management. Equity, to mean not only equal
opportunity, but also creation of conditions in which the disadvantaged sections of the society
– children of SC, ST, Muslim minority, landless agricultural workers and children with
special needs, etc. – can avail of the opportunity. Access, not to be confined to ensuring that a
school becomes accessible to all children within specified distance but implies an
understanding of the educational needs and predicament of the traditionally excluded
categories – the SC, ST and others sections of the most disadvantaged groups, the Muslim
minority, girls in general, and children with special needs.

Gender concern, implying not only an effort to enable girls to keep pace with boys but to
view education in the perspective spelt out in the National Policy on Education 1986 /92; i.e.
a decisive intervention to bring about a basic change in the status of women. Centrality of
teacher, to motivate them to innovate and create a culture in the classroom, and beyond the
classroom, that might produce an inclusive environment for children, especially for girls from
oppressed and marginalised backgrounds. Moral compulsion is imposed through the RTE Act
on parents, teachers, educational administrators and other stakeholders, rather than shifting
emphasis on punitive processes. Convergent and integrated system of educational
management is pre-requisite for implementation of the RTE law. All states must move in that
direction as speedily as feasible.

National Education Mission (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan) was launched in 2018. It was
allocated a budget of Rs. 385.72 billion (US$4.8 billion) in 2019 Interim Union Budget of
India. Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme for the school education sector
extending from pre-school to class 12. The scheme has been prepared with the broader goal
of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and
equitable learning outcomes. The mission comprises four schemes viz. Saakshar
Bharat, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Centrally
Sponsored Scheme on Teacher Education (CSSTE). In 2021, the NIPUN Bharat Mission
was launched as part of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to ensure that universal acquisition of
foundational literacy and numeracy skills for all children in India by Grade 3.

Saakshar Bharat is a government of India initiative launched by the then Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh to create a literate society through a variety of teaching–learning
programmes for the non-literate and neo-literate of 15 years and above. It was launched on 8
September 2009 as a centrally sponsored scheme. It aims to recast India's National Literacy
Mission to focus on the literacy of women, which is expected to increase the literate
population by 70 million adults, including 60 million women. It is a scheme from
Department of School Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

Ministry of Education has launched a National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with
Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), for ensuring that every child in the country
necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, by
2026–27.The mission will focus on children of age group of 3 to 9 years including pre-school
to Grade 3. The children who are in Class 4 and 5 and have not attained the foundational
skills will be provided individual teacher guidance and support, peer support and age
appropriate and supplementary graded learning materials to acquire the necessary
competencies.

2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao:

The trend of decline in the Child Sex Ratio (CSR), defined as number of girls per 1000 of
boys between 0-6 years of age, has been unabated since 1961. The decline from 945 in 1991
to 927 in 2001 and further to 918 in 2011 is alarming. The decline in the CSR is a major
indicator of women disempowerment. CSR reflects both, pre-birth discrimination manifested
through gender biased sex selection, and post birth discrimination against girls. Social
construct discriminating against girls on the one hand, easy availability, affordability and
subsequent misuse of diagnostic tools on the other hand, have been critical in increasing Sex
Selective Elimination of girls leading to low Child Sex Ratio. Since coordinated and
convergent efforts are needed to ensure survival, protection and empowerment of the girl
child, Government has announced Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative. This is being
implemented through a national campaign and focussed multi sectoral action in 100 selected
districts low in CSR, covering all States and UTs.
During the 2014 International Day of the Girl Child, Narendra Modi asked the public to help
end sexism against girls in India. Our Mantra should be: ‘Beta Beti, Ek Samaan’
“Let us celebrate the birth of the girl child. We should be equally proud of our daughters. I
urge you to sow five plants when your daughter is born to celebrate the occasion.” -PM
Narendra Modi to citizens of his adopted village Jayapur.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) was launched by the Prime Minister on 22nd January, 2015
at Panipat, Haryana. BBBP addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues
of women empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. It is a tri-ministerial effort of Ministries
of Women and Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Human Resource
Development.

Since the launch of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao , the multi-sectoral District Action Plans have
been operationalized in almost all states. Capacity-buiding programmes and Trainings have
been imparted to Trainers to further strengthen capacities of district level officials and
frontline workers. Nine set of such trainings have been organized covering all States/UTs the
Ministry of Women & Child Development from April-October, 2015.

The objectives of this initiative are:

• Prevention of gender biased sex selective elimination
• Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child
• Ensuring education and participation of the girl child

On 26 August 2016, Olympics 2016 bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was made brand ambassador for
BBBP.

The NDA Government is trying to bring about a transformational shift in the way our society
looks at the girl child. PM Modi in his Mann Ki Baat lauded the Sarpanch Sunil Jaglan
from Bibipur in Haryana who started a ‘Selfie With Daughter’ initiative. PM also urged
people to share their selfies with daughters and it soon became a world-wide hit.
People from across India and the world shared their selfies with daughters and this became a
proud occasion for all those who have daughters.

The Govt of India has formed a National Executive Committee to promote Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao (BBBP) across the country. The committee is organizing several programs to
promote "Save Girl Child" and "to Educate Girl Child" since January 2015. Dr. Rajendra
Phadke is the National Convener of BBBP Abhiyan. The Beti Bachao campaign is also
supported by the Indian Medical Association.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a Small Savings Scheme of the Government of India meant
exclusively for a girl child. The scheme is meant to meet the education and marriage
expenses of a girl child.

The Logo for Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao was designed by Shri A. J. Raghuvendra, is
Pictorial Mark Logo comprising of a picture/ image of a teenage girl holding books. The
picture/ image as a part of the Logo is used express the identity of the scheme.

The National Girl Child Day is celebrated in India every year on January 24. It was initiated
in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the government of India, to
spread public awareness about inequities that girls face in Indian society.
The National Girl Child Day 2022 Theme was ‘Digital Generation and the
Digital Generation, Our Generation’
2020 theme was 'My voice, our common future’.
future

3. Ayushman Bharat (National Health Protection Mission):

Indian healthcare has evolved over the past

past three decades and is currently at a very critical
juncture to achieve the 3As (Affordability, Accessibility and Availability) of healthcare. The
government with its policies and frameworks has been consistently countering key challenges
dilapidating thee healthcare system such as increasing out-of-pocket
out pocket expenditure, lack of
quality healthcare services, increasing burden of non-communicable
non communicable diseases and disparity in
healthcare access. However, the quantum of issues is increasing with every passing minute.
minute
Among other priorities, the vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has taken a front
seat. The recently released report on health index by NITI Aayog assesses the overall
performance and improvement in larger states, smaller states and UTs, and highlights
highli the
disparity in the performance on health index. States scoring high on the parameters (health
index) for example, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, had an effective healthcare
coverage scheme running since long. It clearly shows that health coverage
coverage and realisation of
UHC can help tackle several healthcare challenges.

With the view to achieve UHC, the Indian government launched Ayushman Bharat (2018),
which caters to all the verticals of healthcare service delivery – primary, secondary and
tertiary
ary care. While the health and wellness centres (HWCs) aim delivery of an expanded
range of services close to the community, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)
focuses on providing secondary and tertiary care services to the underprivileged section of o
the society. So far, a lot has been achieved through the initiative including benefits to nearly
46.5 lakh treated beneficiaries after one year of completion of scheme. However, a lot needs
to be covered in terms of bringing synergy in both the programmes,
programmes, overcoming the hurdles
for a smooth operation and ultimately improving the healthcare status.

The current design of the programme clearly calls for a synergetic collaboration between the
government and private sector to nurture the vision and turning it into reality. Whether it is
the involvement of private healthcare providers in ensuring quality secondary and tertiary
care services to Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
(AB PMJAY) beneficiaries or support
for enabling digital health and screening programmes
programmes for strengthening primary healthcare
h in
Health and Wellness Centres
entres (HWCs), private sector can be leveraged in all the aspects of the
programme. Synergistic partnerships between the government and the private sector offer
ways to contain the potential costs by capping commitments into the long term and
leveraging ultra-lean
lean models of care provision.

Partnerships with private sector can be leveraged by maximising with increasing the output
for government with limited public capital; ensuring quality healthcare
healthcare services to the people
and enabling sustainable return on their investment for private players. This collaboration can
help ensure greater efforts towards developing future care models that can expand via access
through technology, standardisation,
standardisation, skills mix and economies of scale. To gain maximum
benefits out of these collaborations, there is a need for clearly setting priorities of the
partnerships; setting objectives to incentivise high value in healthcare; choosing the right
partner; and generating sufficient competition and contestability.

Ayushman Bharat is National Health Protection Scheme, which will cover over 10 crore poor
and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5
lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. Ayushman
Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will subsume the on-going centrally sponsored
schemes - Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance
Scheme (SCHIS)

Salient Features:
• Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will have a defined benefit
cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year.
• Benefits of the scheme are portable across the country and a beneficiary covered under
the scheme will be allowed to take cashless benefits from any public/private empanelled
hospitals across the country.
• Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will be an entitlement based
scheme with entitlement decided on the basis of deprivation criteria in the SECC
database.
• The beneficiaries can avail benefits in both public and empanelled private facilities.
• To control costs, the payments for treatment will be done on package rate (to be defined
by the Government in advance) basis.
• One of the core principles of Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission is
to co-operative federalism and flexibility to states.
• For giving policy directions and fostering coordination between Centre and States, it is
proposed to set up Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-
NHPMC) at apex level Chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister.
• States would need to have State Health Agency (SHA) to implement the scheme.
• To ensure that the funds reach SHA on time, the transfer of funds from Central
Government through Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission to State
Health Agencies may be done through an escrow account directly.
• In partnership with NITI Aayog, a robust, modular, scalable and interoperable IT
platform will be made operational which will entail a paperless, cashless transaction.

Ayushman Bharat with its key objectives also intends to elevate the overall healthcare system
of the country and hence there is also a need to focus on bigger operational aspects such as
provisioning of quality and standardised care, driving quality accreditation, emphasising on
learning and capacity development, leveraging analytics and technology and imbibing
learnings from across the globe. Focusing on these overarching aspects of operation, and will
not only enable in effective implementation of the scheme but will also assist in shaping up
the healthcare market place, encouraging new market entrants, relooking at regulatory
framework, and developing new avenues of investment from multi-sectoral partners.

Implementation Startegy:
• At the national level to manage, an Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection
Mission Agency (AB-NHPMA) would be put in place. States/ UTs would be advised to
implement the scheme by a dedicated entity called State Health Agency (SHA). They
 can either use an existing Trust/ Society/ Not for Profit Company/ State Nodal Agency
(SNA) or set up a new entity to implement the scheme.
• States/ UTs can decide to implement the scheme through an insurance company or
directly through the Trust/ Society or use an integrated model.

Expenditure:
The expenditure incurred in premium payment will be shared between Central and State
Governments in specified ratio as per Ministry of Finance guidelines in vogue. The total
expenditure will depend on actual market determined premium paid in States/ UTs
where Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will be implemented through
insurance companies. In States/ UTs where the scheme will be implemented in Trust/ Society
mode, the central share of funds will be provided based on actual expenditure or premium
ceiling (whichever is lower) in the pre-determined ratio.

Major Impact:
Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will be rolled out across all
States/UTs in all districts with an objective to cover all the targeted beneficiaries. Ayushman
Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will target about 10.74 crore poor, deprived rural
families and identified occupational category of urban workers' families as per the
latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data covering both rural and urban.

Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission will have major impact on reduction
of Out of Pocket (OOP) expenditure on ground of:
• Increased benefit cover to nearly 40% of the population, (the poorest & the vulnerable)
• Covering almost all secondary and many tertiary hospitalizations. (except a negative
list)
• Coverage of 5 lakh for each family, (no restriction of family size)
This will lead to increased access to quality health and medication. In addition, the unmet
needs of the population which remained hidden due to lack of financial resources will be
catered to. This will lead to timely treatments, improvements in health outcomes, patient
satisfaction, improvement in productivity and efficiency, job creation thus leading to
improvement in quality of life.

The report endeavours to unravel the journey of healthcare coverage in India and how the
launch of Ayushman Bharat is aiming to achieve the vision of healthcare coverage for the
underprivileged section of the society. Moreover, it focuses on providing a perspective and
recommendations on leveraging the expertise of the private sector in strengthening key
functional areas of the initiative. It also substantiates how lessons from proficient and
innovative global healthcare systems can make Ayushman Bharat a success.

4. Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission):

Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide
campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and
improve solid waste management. It is a restructured version of the Nirmal Bharat
Abhiyan launched in 2009 and carried out by predecessor Manmohan Singh that failed to
achieve its intended targets. The Swatchh Bharat Abhiyan implemented in two phases:
Phase 1 of the Swachh Bharat Mission lasted till October 2019.
Phase 2 is being implemented between 2020–21 and 2024–25 to help cement the work of
Phase 1.
Initiated by the Government of India, the mission aimed to achieve an "open-defecation free"
(ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma
Gandhi through construction of toilets. An estimated 89.9 million toilets were built in the
period. The objectives of the first phase of the mission also included eradication of manual
scavenging, generating awareness and bringing about a behaviour
change regarding sanitation practices, and augmentation of capacity at the local level.
The second phase of the mission aims to sustain the open defecation free status and improve
the management of solid and liquid waste, while also working to improve the lives of
sanitation workers. The mission is aimed at progressing towards target 6.2 of the Sustainable
Development Goals Number 6 established by the United Nations in 2015.
The campaign's official name is in Hindi. In English, it translates to "Clean India Mission".
The campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. It is India's largest cleanliness drive to date with three million
government employees and students from all parts of India participating in 4,043 cities,
towns, and rural communities.
At a rally in Champaran, the Prime Minister called the campaign Satyagrah se
Swatchhagrah in reference to Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha launched on 10 April 1916.
The mission was split into two: rural and urban. In rural areas "SBM - Gramin" was financed
and monitored through the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (since converted to the
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti; whereas
"SBM - urban" was overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
As part of the campaign, volunteers, known as Swatchhagrahis, or "Ambassadors of
cleanliness", promoted the construction of toilets using a popular method called Community-
Led Total Sanitation at the village level. Other activities included national real-time
monitoring and updates from non-governmental organizations such as The Ugly
Indian, Waste Warriors, and SWACH Pune (Solid Waste Collection and Handling).
The government provided subsidy for construction of nearly 90 million toilets between 2014
and 2019, although some Indians especially in rural areas choose to not use them. The
campaign was criticized for using coercive approaches to force people to use toilets. Some
people were stopped from defecating in open and threatened with withdrawal from
government benefits. The campaign was financed by the Government of India and state
governments. The former released $5.8 billion (Rs 40,700 crore) funds for toilet construction
700,000 villages. The total budget for the rural and urban components was estimated at $28
billion, 93 per cent for construction and the rest for behaviour change campaigns and
administration.
Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Mobile app is being used by people and Government
organisations for achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Mission. For this the government of
India is bringing awareness to the people through advertisements.
Swachh Survekshan, commissioned by Ministry of Urban Development and carried out
by Quality Council of India, is an extensive sanitation survey across several hundred cities to
check the progress and impact of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and to foster a spirit of competition
among the cities. The performance of each city is evaluated on six parameters:
• Municipal solid waste, sweeping, collection and transportation
• Municipal solid waste, processing, and disposal of solid waste
• Open defecation free and toilets
• Capacity building and e-Learning
• Provision of public toilets and community toilets
• Information, education and communication, and behaviour

The SBM received political sponsorship from Prime Minister Modi who started talking about
sanitation even before he was elected as the Prime Minister.[94] He made a call to address the
issue in his first address to the nation on the occasion of Independence day in 2014.
Throughout the mission period, he continued to promote the mission through his speeches
and was seen wielding the broom multiple times to clean the streets. In 2019, he plogged on
a beach in Mamallapuram during his morning walk; he was there to attend the informal
summit with Xi Jinping, then-General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Other
political leaders and public figures including actors and actresses, sports men and women,
owners of large business houses were roped in as ambassadors to promote the mission

The Tagline “Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Aur” exhorts all citizens to contribute in their own
way towards the goal of Swachh Bharat. Shri Anant Khasbardar of Kolhapur, Maharashtra
has designed the Logo while Ms. Bhagyasri Sheth of Rajkot, Gujarat provided the tagline for
the Logo. Spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi with its bridge in the Tricolour signifies, the nation
uniting to achieve the vision of Mahatma for a clean India. The Swatchh Bharat
Mission aims to make India an open defecation free country in Five Years.

The Swachh Bharat Cess has become effective from 15 November 2015 at the rate of 0.5%
on all taxable services. This effectively amounts to a 14.5% tax including service tax of
14% plus Swachh Bharat Cess of 0.5% on taxable services.

The Logo with spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi with 'Swachh Bharat' written on the two
glasses with the bridge of the spectacles in National Tricolour signifies the entire nation
uniting to achieve the vision of Mahatma for a 'Clean India.

5. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana:

As a part of the continuous efforts of the Indian Government to fulfill the housing needs of
rural and urban poor, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY) was launched by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015 with an aim to provide affordable housing. It has two
components: Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) (PMAY-U) for the urban poor
and Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) (PMAY-G and also PMAY-R) for the rural
poor. This scheme is converged with other schemes to ensure houses have a toilet,
Saubhagya Yojana electricity connection, Ujjwala Yojana for LPG connection, access
to drinking water and Jan Dhan Yojana for banking facilities, etc.
Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) is one of the first centralised housing schemes for Indians. It was
introduced by the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1985. The scheme’s primary
objective was to provide housing for the economically weaker sections in the country, and
individuals belonging to below the poverty line or BPL. At first, its benefits were exclusive to
beneficiaries from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe minority groups. However, as of
2016, IAY was officially merged with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin scheme.

Features:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana are that the government will provide an interest subsidy of
6.5% (for EWS and LIG), 4% for MIG-I and 3% for MIG-II on housing loans availed by the
beneficiaries for a period of 20 years under Credit Link Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) from the
start of a loan. The houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana would be constructed through
a technology that is eco-friendly, while allotting ground floors in any housing scheme under
PMAY, preference will be given to differently abled and older persons.

Conditions/Eligibility Criteria for PMAY:

• Beneficiary max age 70 years.
• EWS (Economic Weaker Section) family income limit is Rs.3 lakhs per annum and
for LIG (Lower Income Group) Family Income limit is Rs. 6 Lakhs per annum, and
Middle Income Group -(MIG-I) income between Rs. 6 lakhs to Rs.12 lakhs per
annum, (MIG-II) income between Rs.12 lakhs to Rs.18 lakhs per annum.
• The beneficiary should not have an own dwelling unit on the name of any family
member in any part of India.
• The loan applicant should not have availed any central/state government subsidy or
benefit for buying a home under the PMAY scheme.
• Currently, the loan applicant should not own any property under their name and along
with any of the family members (including the dependents).
• The home renovation or improvement loans, self-construction loans will be allocated
only for EWS and LIG categories.
• The houses given under this scheme will be owned by females or jointly with males

3 Phases of PMAY envisage starting and completing the house construction work as follows:
PMAY Phase-1: from April 2015 to March 2017 to cover 100 cities.
PMAY Phase-2: from April 2017 to March 2019 to cover additional 200 cities.
PMAY Phase-3: from April 2019 to March 2021 to cover the remaining cities
"Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY)" was an Indian government program that attempts to help slum
dwellers gain appropriate housing and address the processes by which slums are created and
reproduced. It was introduced by the Indian government's Ministry of Housing and urban
poverty Alleviation. The programme was a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, which ran from
2013 to 2014. The scheme aimed to make India slum-free by 2022 by providing people with
shelter or housing, free of cost. It began with a pilot project, before launching in mission
mode.
6. Skill India:

Skill India or the National Skills Development Mission of India is a campaign launched
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 July 2015 to train over 30 crore people in India in
different skills by 2022. It is managed by the National Skills Development Corporation of
India managed by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Various initiatives under this campaign are:
• National Skill Development Mission
• National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
• Skill Loan scheme
• Rural India Skill
UK has entered into a partnership with India under skill India programme. Virtual
partnerships will be initiated at the school level to enable young people of these countries to
experience the school system of the other country and develop an understanding of the
culture, traditions and social and family systems. A commitment to achieve mutual
recognition of UK and Indian qualifications was made.

India’s first Skill India International Centre will be set up in Bhubaneswar for training youths
with an aim to enhance overseas opportunities for the skilled workforce on April 16, 2022.
The government has invested Rs. 4000 crore in the launch of SANKALP (Skill Acquisition
and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion Programme), another big initiative
under the Skill India Mission. Through this it aims at providing market relevant training to
350 million young Indians. Apart from this, the government would set up 100 India
International Skills Centres that will conduct advanced courses in foreign languages to help
youngsters prepare for overseas jobs.[9] It provides opportunities to the youth of India.

7. National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM):

National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) - Aajeevika was launched by the Ministry of
Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011 as a restructured version
of Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY). NRLM has the mandate of reaching out
to 100 million rural poor in 6 lakh villages across the country. National Rural Livelihood
Mission (NRLM) is a poverty alleviation project focused on promoting self-employment and
the organization of rural poor. The idea behind this program is to organize the poor into SHG
(Self Help Groups) groups and make them capable of self-employment. The basic idea
behind this project was to form SHG groups and help them to start some entrepreneurial
activities but later SHG group failed.

The core belief of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is that the poor have innate
capabilities and a strong desire to come out of poverty. They are entrepreneurial, an essential
coping mechanism to survive under conditions of poverty. The challenge is to unleash their
capabilities to generate meaningful livelihoods and enable them to come out of poverty.
The core values which guide all the activities under NRLM are as follows:[1]
• Inclusion of the poorest, and meaningful role to the poorest in all the processes
• Transparency and accountability of all processes and institutions.
• Ownership and key role of the poor and their institutions in all stages – planning,
implementation, and, monitoring

In order to build, support and sustain livelihood of the poor, NRLM will harness their
capability and complement them with capacities (information, knowledge, skill, tools, finance
and collectivization), so that the poor can deal with the external world. NRLM works on three
pillars – enhancing and expanding existing livelihoods options of the poor; building skills for
the job market outside; and nurturing self-employed and entrepreneurs

Dedicated support structures build and strengthen the institutional platforms of the poor.
These platforms, with the support of their built-up human and social capital, offer a variety of
livelihoods services to their members across the value-chains of key products and services of
the poor. These services include financial and capital services, production and productivity
enhancement services that include technology, knowledge, skills and inputs, market linkages
etc.

Self-employed and entrepreneurial oriented poor would be provided skills and financial
linkages and nurtured to establish and grow with micro-enterprises for products and services
in demand. These platforms also offer space for convergence and partnerships with a variety
of stakeholders, by building an enabling environment for poor to access their rights and
entitlements, public services and innovations. The aggregation of the poor, through their
institutions, reduces transaction costs to the individual members, makes their livelihoods
more viable and accelerates their journey out of poverty.

NRLM will be implemented in a mission mode. This enables:

• Shift from the present allocation based strategy to a demand driven strategy, enabling
the states to formulate their own livelihoods-based poverty reduction action plans.
• Focus on targets, outcomes and time bound delivery.
• Continuous capacity building, imparting requisite skills and creating linkages with
livelihoods opportunities for the poor, including those emerging in the organized
sector.
• Monitoring against targets of poverty outcomes.
As NRLM follows a demand driven strategy, the States have the flexibility to develop their
own livelihoods-based perspective plans and annual action plans for poverty reduction. The
overall plans would be within the allocation for the state based on inter-se poverty ratios.

The second dimension of demand driven strategy implies that the ultimate objective is that
the poor will drive the agenda, through participatory planning at grassroots level,
implementation of their own plans, reviewing and generating further plans based on their
experiences. The plans will not only be demand driven, they will also be dynamic.

The DAY-NRLM is the flagship program of Govt. of India for promoting poverty reduction
through building strong institutions of the poor, particularly women, and enabling these
institutions to access a range of financial services and livelihoods.

Cluster Level Forum (CLF) is a platform for sharing of experiences of SHGs and extends
mutual support to improve the overall performance. The CLF will create voice and space
for the poor in the village and help initiate development intervention for poverty reduction.

A Project Resource Person (PRP) is seconded to each cluster in the resource block to
facilitate implementation on the ground. External Community Resource Persons in teams of 5
each from NRO take-up mobilisation, formation of institutions of the poor and train the
institutions in the block.

The inclusion of the target group under NRLM is determined by a well-defined, transparent
and equitable process of participatory identification of poor (PIP) at the level of the
community.

NRLM provides Revolving Fund (RF) to SHGs of Rs. 10,000-15,000 as corpus to meet the
members' credit needs directly and as catalytic capital for leveraging repeat bank finance.

Monitoring Evaluation & Learning (MEL)/Management Information Systems (MIS)

NRLM is process intensive and therefore at various levels, it would constantly review, assess
and learn from the qualitative and quantitative progress achieved.

8. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), 2005:

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 or MNREGA,

earlier known as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or NREGA, is an Indian
labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. This act was
passed in 23 August 2005 under the UPA government of the then Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh following tabling of the bill in parliament by Raghuvansh Prasad Singh the Minister
for Rural Development.

The Act aims to follow the Directive Principles of State Policy enunciated in Part IV of
the Constitution of India. The law by providing a 'right to work' is consistent with Article 41
that directs the State to secure to all citizens the right to work. The statute also seeks to
protect the environment through rural works which is consistent with Article 48A that directs
the State to protect the environment.
It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage
employment in a financial year to at least one member of every household whose adult
members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Women are guaranteed one third of the
jobs made available under the MGNREGA. Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable
assets (such as roads, canals, ponds and wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of
an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within
15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. That is, if the
government fails to provide employment, it has to provide certain unemployment allowances
to those people. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement. Apart from
providing economic security and creating rural assets, other things said to promote NREGA
are that it can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-
urban migration and fostering social equity, among others.

The World Bank (IBRD) in its World Development Report (2014) termed it as a "stellar
example of rural development”. MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram
panchayats (GPs). The law stated it provides many safeguards to promote its effective
management and implementation. The act explicitly mentions the principles and agencies for
implementation, list of allowed works, financing pattern, monitoring and evaluation, and
detailed measures to ensure transparency and accountability.

Provisions of the Act:

The registration process involves an application to the Gram Panchayat and issue of job
cards. The wage employment must be provided within 15 days of the date of application. The
work entitlement of 100 days per household per year may be shared between different adult
members of the same household. The law lists permissible works: water conservation and
water harvesting; drought proofing including afforestation; irrigation works; restoration of
traditional water bodies; land development; flood control; rural connectivity; and works
notified by the government. The Act sets a minimum limit to the wage-material ratio as
60:40. The provision of accredited engineers, worksite facilities and a weekly report on
worksites is also mandated by the Act. The Act sets a minimum limit to the wages, to be paid
with gender equality, either on a time-rate basis or on a piece-rate basis. The states are
required to evolve a set of norms for the measurement of works and schedule of rates.
Unemployment allowance must be paid if the work is not provided within the statutory limit
of 15 days. The law stipulates Gram Panchayats to have a single bank account for NREGA
works which shall be subjected to public scrutiny. To promote transparency and
accountability, the act mandates 'monthly squaring of accounts'. To ensure public
accountability through public vigilance, the NREGA designates ‘social audits’ as key to its
implementation.

The Union Government has allowed Tamil Nadu Government to increase the number of
workdays under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) scheme in
Tamil Nadu from existing 100 to 150 days.
The rise in workdays aims at helping rural labourers, who are staring at job loss due to severe
drought in the state.

The most detailed part of the Act (chapter 10 and 11) deals with transparency and
accountability that lays out role of the state, the public vigilance and, above all, the social
audits. For evaluation of outcomes, the law also requires management of data and
maintenance of records, like registers related to employment, job cards, assets, muster rolls
and complaints, by the implementing agencies at the village, block and state level. The
legislation specifies the role of the state in ensuring transparency and accountability through
upholding the right to information and disclosing information proactively, preparation of
annual reports by the Central Employment Guarantee Council for the Parliament and State
Employment Guarantee Councils for state legislatures, undertaking mandatory financial
audits by each district along with physical audit, taking action on audit reports, developing
a Citizen's Charter, establishing vigilance and monitoring committees, and developing a
grievance redressal system.
The Act recommends establishment of 'Technical Resource Support Groups' at district, state
and central level and active use of information technology, like creation of a 'Monitoring and
Information System (MIS)' and a NREGA website, to assure quality in implementation of
NREGA through technical support. The law allows convergence of NREGA with other
programmes. As NREGA intends to create ‘additional’ employment, the convergence should
not affect employment provided by other programmes.

A continuous process of social audit on NREGA works involves public vigilance and
verification at the stipulated 11 stages of implementation: registration of families; distribution
of job cards; receipt of work applications; selection of suitable public works; preparation of
technical estimates; work allocation; implementation and supervision; payment of wages;
payment of unemployment allowance; evaluation of outcomes; and mandatory social audit in
the Gram Sabha or Social Audit Forum. The Gram Panchayat Secretary is designated as the
authority responsible for carrying out the social audit at all stages. For some stages, the
programme officer and the junior engineer is also responsible along with Sarpanch.

The statute designates the Gram Sabha meetings held to conduct social audit as the 'Social
Audit Forums' and spells out three steps to make them effective: publicity and preparation of
documents; organizational and procedural aspects; and the mandatory agenda involving
questions verifying compliance with norms specified at each of the 11 stages of
implementation.

Considering the available data till date (November 2022) the daily wage payment ranges
between the highest (in states like Tamil Nadu and Punjab) Rs. 331 and lowest (in states like
Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar) Rs. 204. The wage rates differ in different states
based on the state-wise inflation rate and one day labour is considered as 09 hours of work
with one hour of rest. Wage transfer processes in relation to NREGA have undergone
significant changes since its initial implementation. In 2016, the wage payment method was
shifted to the National electronic Fund Management System (Ne-FMS), a Direct Benefit
Transfer system. The Consumer Price Index-Agriculture Labour (CPI-AL) now provides a
guide to fixing MGNREGA wages. The scheme has resulted in an increase in the growth rate
of wages when the initial pre and post NREGA years are considered.

***
Sl. Questions and Options Correct
No. Option
Unit II – Social Connect and Responsibility
1 Which of the following are the objectives of the Beti Bachao Beti Paddao scheme?
1. Prevent female infanticide
2. Prevent child marriages
3. Ensure protection of a girl child
4.Ensure education of a girl child
A 1,3,4
B 2,3,4, D
C 3 and 4
D All

2 Which festival was organized on the theme of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao?
A Kala Mahotsava
B Mala Utsav D
C Jana Utsav
D Kala Utsav

3 Which of the following is a nodal ministry for Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme?
A Ministry of Home Affairs
B Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
C Ministry of Women and Child Development C
D Niti Ayog

4 Who gave the slogan ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’?

A Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani
B Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi B
C Home Minister Amit Saha
D None of these

5 When did ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao abhiyan’ started?

A 22 January 2016
B 22 January 2015 B
C 22 January 2018
D 22 January 2022

6 Which is the National Girl Child Day?

A 12 January
B 24 January B
C 14 January
D 10 January

7 ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ launched in

A Rajastan
B Haryana
C Punjab B
D Karnataka

8 Who designed the logo of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ abhiyan?

A Sri Narendra Modi
B Dr Manmohan Singh C
C Shri A J Raghuvendra
D None of these
9 Customary Village Councils (CVCs) are
A State sponsored organizations for local administration
B Privately managed administrative bodies with government financial support C
C Traditional, non-state and unofficial local bodies participating in rural
administration
D None of these

10 ‘Khap Panchayat’ is an example of ..............

A Traditional and non-official local institution participating in village
administration
B Government sponsored traditional private establishments of village A
administration
C A form of government approved judicial institutions functioning in Indian
village administration
D None of these

11 One of the following started promoting Self Help Groups (SHGs) since 1992 with primary
focus on empowerment of women and marginalized sections of the society.
A Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
B Regional Rural Banks
C National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) C
D Village Cooperative Societies

12 Which of the following problems faced by the Self Help Groups (SHGs)?
A Inadequate financial assistance
B Poor financial management D
C Lack of stability and unity
D All of these

13 Which of the following committee connected with matters relating to Panchayat Raj system?
A Balwant Rai Mehta Committe
B Ashok Mehta Committee D
C G V K Rao Committee
D All of these

14 Which of the following Constitutional Amendment Act provides for the establishment of
Panchayats and Grama Sabha as the foundation of Panchayat Raj System?
A 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1990
B 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 C
C 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
D 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1994

15 Panchayat Raj is a
A Three – tier system
B Two – tier system A
C Single layer system
D None of these

16 Not less than .............. of the total number of seats to be reserved for women, further not less
than ..................... of the total number of offices for chairperson at all levels of the panchayat to
be reserved for women.
A One-third ; One-third
B One –third and two-third A
C Two-third: One-third
 D One-third; one-fourth

17 Which of the Articles of Indian Constitution makes provisions for disqualifications from the
panchayats membership?
A Article 243B
B Article 243F B
C Article 243J
D Article 243K

18 Minimum age prescribed to contest in Panchayat elections is ............

A 25 years
B 30 years C
C 21 years
D 18 years

19 Article ................enshrines the provisions with respect to elections of the Panchayats.

A Article 243O
B Article 243F D
C Article 243J
D Article 243K

20 Article ................ bars the courts to interfere in the Panchayat Matters.

A Article 243O
B Article 243F A
C Article 243J
D Article 243K

21 PESA Act means ...............

A Panchayat Extension and Stipulated Activities Act.

B Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Area Act. B
C People Empowerment and Skill Augmentation Act
D None of these

22 Who is recognized as ‘Father of Rural Development’ in India?

A S K Dey
B Rabindranath Tagore A
C Raja Ram Mohan Roy
D Sardar Vallabha Bai Patel

23 What is the Swachh Bharat Cess (SBC) rate shall be levied and collected in accordance with the
provisions of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2015?
A 1.5% of the value of taxable service
B 0.75% of the value of taxable service C
C 0.5% of the value of taxable service
D 0.25% of the value of taxable service

24 Which one of the following committees is not connected with Panchayat Raj system?
A Drafting Committee
 B Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
C A
Ashok Mehta Committee
D GVK Rao Committee

25 Balwant Rai Mehta Committee for Panchayat Raj was appointed in the year ...................
A 1968
B 1947
D
C 1950
D 1957

26 Who is called as the ‘Father of Panchayat Raj System’ in India?

A L M Singhvi
B Ahsok Mehta C
C Balwant Rai Mehta
D G V K Rao

27 Which is the primary and permanent body of Panchayat Raj system?

A Standing Committee
B Gram Sabha
B
C Khap Panchayat
D None of these

28 Who holds a record book of details like the map of the land, the crops that are grown there, the
owner’s name, etc.
A District Collector
B Patwari (Land Measurer) B
C Panchayat President
D None of these

29 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of

Government of India to attain .................
A Quality Higher Education
B Proficiency in Technical Education D
C Skill and Expertise in Medical Education
D Universal Elementary Education (UEE)

30 Right to Education Act (RTE) came into force on ...........................

A 1 April 2010
B 22 April 2010
C 11 April 2010 A
D 1 April 2018

31 ‘Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat’ is a nation-wide sub-programme of ................

A Holistic Education
B New Education Policy (NEP) D
C National Education Policy (NEP)
 D Sarva Siksha Abhiyan

32 The NIPUN Bharat Mission was launched as part of ........................

A Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in 2021
B Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in 2021 B
C National Education Policy (NEP) in 2021
D None of these

33 A government of India initiative launched by the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to
create a literate society through a variety of teaching–learning programmes for the non-literate
and neo-literate of 15 years and above is called as ....................
A Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
B Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
D
C Madhyamika Shiksha Abhiyan
D Saakshar Bharat

34 Who was made as the brand ambassador of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ initiative ..........
A Olympian Sakshi Mallik
B Olympian Nirav Chopra
A
C Olympian Vijendra Kuman
D Olympian Abhinav Bindra

35 Who started ‘Selfie With Daughter’ initiative?

A Narendra Modi C
B Dr Manmohan Singh
C Sunil Jaglan
D Smt. Smriti Irani

36 Indian healthcare has evolved over the past three decades and is currently at a very critical
juncture to achieve the 3As of healthcare; where 3As mean:
A Affordability, Accountability, Accuracy
B Accessibility, Availability, Accountability
C
C Affordability, Accessibility and Availability
D Accessibility, Authenticity, Accountability

37 ‘Ayushman Bharat’ initiative aiming at achieving Universal Health Coverage was launched in
the year .......................
A 2021
B 2015
C
C 2018
D 2022

38 National Health Protection Mission will have a defined benefit cover of ............... per family
per year
A Rs. 3 lakhs
B Rs. 10 lakhs
C
C Rs. 5 lakhs
 D Rs. 1.5 lakhs

39 India’s largest National Health Protection Scheme has been implemented under the name
.............
A Samman Bharat
B Ayushman Bharat
B
C Adarsh Bharat
D Nirmaan Bharat

40 Who will head the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission Council (AB-
NHPMC) formed at national level to implement the scheme?
A Prime Minister
B Minister of Health and Family Welfare
B
C Minister of Ayush
D Chairman of NITI Ayog

41 The states and UTs are required to set up SHA for the implementation of the scheme. What
does SHA stands for?
A State Health Agency A
B Society Health Agency
C Strategic Health Agency
D Social Health Agency

42 The Ayushman Bharat aims to target about .................... beneficiaries under the scheme?
A 100 crore
B 10.74 crore B
C 10.47 crore
D 10.65 crore

43 The government has partnered with which entity to make the process cashless?
A Paytm
B Reliance C
C NITI Ayog
D None of these

44 Under the Ayushman Bharat programme, government has announced two major initiatives
namely National Health Protection Scheme and Health and Wellness Centre as the two flagship
programme with the aim to build New India by ..........................
A 2022
B 2021 A
C 2030
D 2047

45 With reference to ‘Ayushman Bharat’ initiative, which of the following statement is correct?
1. Under the Ayushman Bharat programme, government has announced two major
initiatives namely National Health Protection Scheme and Health and Wellness Centre
as the two flagship programme with the aim to build New India
2. The expenses incurred in this scheme are shared between the Centre and the States in
60:40 ratio.
 A 1 only
B 2 only C
C Both 1 and 2
D Neither 1 nor 2

46 Which of the following is linked with ‘Ayushman Bharat’ yojana?

A ABHA
B ASHA A
C USHA
D None of these

47 ABHA stands for ........... in Ayushman Bharat.

A All Body Health Assessment
B Ayushman Bharat Health Account B
C Ayushman Bharat Health Assessment
D Agreement of Body and Health Assessment

48 Who is eligible for ABHA ID card?

A All Indian Citizens
B Citizens with annual income below Rs. 5 lakhs A
C Citizens with BPL Card facility
D SC, ST and EWS of the society

49 NDHM means .............

A National Direct Health Medication
B Natinal Digital Health Monitoring D
C National Doctors and Health Mentors
D National Digital Health Mission

50 With reference to Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jana Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
consider the following statements:
1. It has been launched to achieve Universal Health Coverage
2. It is the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the government and
the cost of implementation is shared between the Centre and the State at 60:40 ratio
3. It is applicable to the people aged 60 and above only
A 1 only
B 1 and 2 only B
C 1 and 3 only
D 2 and 3 only

51 When the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ initiated?

A 2016
B 2015 D
C 2018
D 2014

52 ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (Clean India Campaign) aims at:

1. Eliminate open defecation
2. Solid Waste Management
A 1 only
B 2 only D
C Neither 1 nor 2
D Both 1 and 2
53 ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ is a restructured version of ...............
A ‘Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan’, 2009
B Clean India Campaign, 2009 A
C Clean City Campaign, 2009
D None of these

54 Mahatma Gandhi’s 150 birth anniversary celebrated on ...................

A 2 October 2019
B 2 October 2020 A
C 2 October 2021
D 2 October 2018

55 The ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ tagline ‘Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Aur’ is given by ..........
A Shri Anant Khasbardar of Kolhapur, Maharashtra
B Sri Narendra Modi D
C M S Swaminathan
D Ms. Bhagyasri Sheth of Rajkot, Gujarat

56 Who among the following has designed the logo of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’?
A Shri Anant Khasbardar of Kolhapur, Maharashtra
B Sri Narendra Modi A
C M S Swaminathan
D Ms. Bhagyasri Sheth of Rajkot, Gujarat

57 What is the budget amount fixed for Swachh Bharat Missin – Urban 2.0 will be effective from
2021 to 2026.
A 100 crores
B 10.4 thousand crores D
C 75.1 thousand crores
D 1.41 lakh crores
58 Which one of the following as a civil servant who led the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’?
A Hari Chandana Dasari
B Parameswaran Iyer B
C Renu Raj
D Kunwar Bai Yadav

59 At a rally in Champaran the Prime Minister called the campaign ‘satyagraha se swachhagrah’ in
reference Gandhi Champaran Satyagrah launched on .............
A 13 April 1919
B 10 April 1916 B
C 12 March 1931
D None of these

60 In which place ‘Clean India Mission’ (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) was officially launched?
A Patna, Bihar
B Rajghat, New Delhi B
C Lucknow, UP
D Kurukshethra, Haryana

61 How many sub missions are there in ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’?

A Two
B Four A
C Six
D Three
62 When was the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan launched?
A 2013
B 2009 B
C 2020
D 2012

63 Which of the following is/are objectives of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’?

A To eliminate open defecation
B Eradication of manual scavenging D
C Effective solid waste management
D All of these

64 Which is the twitter hashtag used for ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’?

A #MyIncredible India
B #MyCleanIndia B
C #MyNeatIndia
D #MYSmartIndia

65 On which day India observe the World Toilet Day?

A 14 August
B 19 November B
C 13 February
D 15 September

66 Which is the first city in our country free of manual scavenging?

A Alwar
B Bharuch A
C Trichy
D Jaipur

67 Which is the cleanest village of India?

A Mawlynnong A
B Punsari
C Dharani
D Ballia

68 What is the tagline of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan?

A One India, Clean India C
B Swachh Bharat Mera Bharat
C Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Ore
D None of these

69 Which of the following committee recommended for Panchayat Raj system in India?
A Drafting Committee
B Balwant Rai Mehta Committee B
C Ashok Mehta Committee
D None of these

70 Which of the following system is established on the basis of the direct election?
A Panchayat Raj
B Block Committee A
C Zilla Parishad
D All of these
71 Which of the following Article of Indian Constitution is related to Panchayati Raj?
A Article 324
B Article 326 D
C Article 194
D Article 243

72 What was the main purpose behind bringing the Panchayati Raj system to India?
A Decentralization of the political power to the common public in villages
B Prevent the criminalization of politics A
C Development of villages
D To reduce election expenses

73 Which schedule was added to the constitution by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment?
A 8 Schedule
B 11 Schedule B
C 12 Schedule
D 10 Schedule

74 Which statement is not correct regarding "Gram Sabha"?

A It is a body consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls of a village
comprised within the area of the Panchayat level
B It is a village assembly consisting of all the registered voters in the area of the
Panchayat C
C Its power is determined by the central government
D Its powers and functions at the village level are like state legislature at the state
level

75 Which statement is true about Panchayati Raj?

1. Its powers have been determined by the State Legislature
2. Minimum age should be 21 years to contest the election at the panchayat level
3. Election of the Panchayati Raj institutions is conducted under the guidance of the State
Election Commission
4. It is a three-tier system with panchayats at the lower level, panchayats samiti at
intermediaty or mandal level and Zilla Parishad at district level
A 1 only
B 2 and 4 only D
C 1 and 3 only
D All of these are true

76 How many posts are reserved for women at all levels in the Panchayati Raj system?
A One–third
B One-fourth A
C Two-third
D There is no reservation for women in Pachayat Raj system.

77 ‘Swachha Bharat Swachha Vidyalaya’ (SBSV) campaign with the objective of cleanliness in
schools run by the Ministry of .....................
A Environment and Forest
B Human Resource Development B
C Agriculture
D Urban Development

78 What is the primary goal and focus of Swachha Bharat Mission?

A Clean India
B Digital India A
 C Smart India
D Skill India

79 When did the ‘Skill India’ or ‘National Skills Development Mission of India’ was launched?
A 15 July 2018
B 15 August 2016 C
C 15 July 2015
D None of these

80 Which of the following country entered into a partnership in Skill India programme?
A Bhutan
B Russia D
C USA
D UK

81 SANKALP means .......................

A Skill Awareness and Knowledge Awareness for Loan Processing Programme
B Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion B
Programme
C Social Acquisition and Knowledge Acquisisition for Livelihood Promotion
Programme
D None of these

82 Skill India programmes are managed by .....................

A National Skills Development Corporation of India (NSDC)
B Urban Development Corporation of India A
C Labour Unions
D None of these
83 Skill India Mission is associated with the Ministry of ..................
A Labour and Family Welfare
B Human Resource Development C
C Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
D NITI Ayog

84 Which of the following is an initiative of Skill India Mission?

A Food for Life Programme
B Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) B
C Right to Education
D Grammen Sadak Yojana

85 Consider the following statements about NRLM:

1. It promotes the Self-employment and Organization of the rural poor
2. It is supported by the World Bank with a credit of $ 1 Billion
A 1 only
B 2 only C
C Both 1 and 2
D None of these

86 NRLM – Ajeevaka is launched by the Ministry of ....................

A Labour and Family Welfare
B Rural Development B
C Urban Development
D Human Resource Development

87 This is a platform for sharing of experiences of SHGs and extends mutual support to improve
 the overall performance.
A Cluster Level Forum
B Community Level Forum A
C Common Leave Facility
D None of these

88 NRLM follows ...................

A Supply Based Production Strategy
B Demand Driven Strategy B
C Income Driven Strategy
D None of these

89 The World Bank (IBRD) in its World Development Report (2014) termed it as a "stellar
example of rural development”
Which one of the following initiative of the Central Government is termed as a ‘stellar example
of rural development’ by the World Bank in its World Development Report, 2014?
A NRLM
B Rural Livelihood Mission C
C NREGA, 2005
D None of these

90 NREGA aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least ............ days of
wage employment in a financial year to at least one member of every household whose adult
members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
A 180
B 200 D
C 150
D 100

91 Under MNREGA scheme, who is mainly responsible as key functionary in implementing the
schemes/works at village level?
A Village Secretary
B Gram Rozgar Sahayak B
C Gramin Vikas Adhikari
D None of these

92 Which is the first state to employ the differently-abled, in MNREGA?

A Keral B
B Tamilnadu
C Gujarat
D Karnataka

93 For how many years the registration of job card under MNREGA is valid?
A Five
B Four A
C Ten
D For life time

94 Who selects the Social Audit Committee under MNREGA?

A Members of Zilla Panchayat
B District Collector
C Grama Sabha C
D Minister for Rural Devlopment
95 Union Government increased workdays from 100 days to 150 days per year under MGNREGA
in which state?
A Karnataka
B Tamil Nadu B
C Kerala
D Bihar

96 In the cash benefits transferred last year under the Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme, the largest
head under which DBT transfers were made was ..............................
A MNREGA
B LPG Subsidy
C Fertilizer Subsidy A
D Compensation to farmers for the loss due to flood, drought, and other
calamities, etc.

97 Which of the following is/are true regarding Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana — Gramin?
1. Cost of unit assistance to be shared between Central and State Governments in the ratio
75:25 in plain areas.
2. The beneficiary will be entitled to 90 days of unskilled labour from MGNREGA
A 1 only
B 2 only B
C Both 1 and 2
D Neither 1 nor 2

98 The NDA Government has decided to increase the number of workdays under MGNREGA
from 100 days to ....................... days in drought-affected areas.
A 120
B 200 C
C 150
D 280

99 National Mission for a Green India is merged with ...................................

A National River Conservation Scheme
B Swachh Bharat Abhiyan D
C National Afforestation Programme
D MNREGA

100 Consider the following statements:

1. MGNREGS fulfills the constitutional rights in India
2. MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats
3. The places where the recent unseasonal rain and hailstorms have affected crops the
government will increase the number of work days under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from 100 to 200 days per year
Which of these above statements are correct?
A 1 only
B 1 and 3 only D
C 2 and 3 only
D 1 and 2 only

101 Which of the following can help in the development of human resource?
A Skill development
B Improving literacy and access to information D
C Training
D All of these
102 Rural development aims at
1. Improving rural health facilities
2. Reducing poverty
3. Development of rural infrastructure
A 1 only
B 2 only D
C 1 and 3 only
D 1, 2, and 3

***