Government Schemes, Reports and Indices: A Prelims Framework

Studying a government scheme

For every scheme, note six things:

1. Ministry that runs it.
2. Objective and beneficiaries.
3. Type: Central Sector (100% Centre-funded) or Centrally Sponsored (Centre + States share).
4. Launch year.
5. Key features (e.g. DBT, insurance cover, eligibility).
6. Linked static concept (e.g. financial inclusion, food security).

Examples

Scheme	Ministry / purpose
PM Jan Dhan Yojana (2014)	Finance — financial inclusion, zero-balance accounts
MGNREGA (2005 Act)	Rural Development — 100 days of guaranteed wage employment
PM-KISAN (2019)	Agriculture — ₹6,000 per year income support to farmer families
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (2018)	Health — health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year
PM Ujjwala Yojana (2016)	Petroleum — LPG connections for poor households

Reports and indices: who publishes what

Report / Index	Publisher
Human Development Index	UNDP
World Economic Outlook	IMF
Global Gender Gap Report	World Economic Forum
World Happiness Report	UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Global Hunger Index	Concern Worldwide & Welthungerhilfe
Emissions Gap Report	UNEP
Global Innovation Index	WIPO

UPSC tends to ask the publisher or the parameters used, not India's exact rank.

Framework for international organisations

For each organisation remember: headquarters, members (is India a member?), purpose, flagship reports.

Prelims tips

1. Eliminate options using the "type" of scheme and the ministry.
2. Rankings change yearly; publishers and indicators do not.

Analogy

Studying schemes is like filling an ID card for each one. Every card has the same boxes — name, parent (ministry), date of birth (launch year), purpose and special features. Once every scheme has a completed ID card, telling look-alike schemes apart in an MCQ becomes easy.