Government Schemes Questions for RBI GRADE B

Financial Inclusion Schemes

These schemes aim to bring unbanked and underbanked populations into the formal financial system. RBI directly oversees many of these, making them extra relevant. PMJDY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana) is the mother scheme — it provides zero-balance accounts, RuPay debit cards, and a Rs 2 lakh accident cover. Think of it as the foundation on which all other schemes are built.

• PMJDY launched 28 August 2014 — nodal ministry is Finance Ministry. Over 53 crore accounts opened as of 2024.
• PM-SVANidhi: Micro-credit for street vendors — Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 in three tranches; launched June 2020; nodal ministry Housing and Urban Affairs.
• Stand-Up India: Loans Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs — one per bank branch; launched April 2016.
• Startup India: DPIIT nodal; Fund of Funds, tax exemptions, self-certification compliance; launched January 2016.
• PM Mudra Yojana: Shishu (up to Rs 50k), Kishore (Rs 50k-5L), Tarun (Rs 5L-10L); no collateral micro loans.

Social Security and Insurance Schemes

These three schemes form a trio launched on the same day — 9 May 2015 — and are almost always tested together. Remember them as the Safety Trinity. They target the poor and informal sector workers who lacked any social safety net. PMSBY covers accidental death, PMJJBY covers all-cause death, and APY targets retirement.

• PMSBY (Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana): Accidental death/disability cover Rs 2 lakh; premium Rs 20 per year; age 18-70.
• PMJJBY (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana): Life cover Rs 2 lakh; premium Rs 436 per year (revised 2022 from Rs 330); age 18-50.
• APY (Atal Pension Yojana): Pension Rs 1000-5000/month after age 60; subscribers below 40; government co-contributes for non-taxpayers; nodal body PFRDA.
• PM Jeevan Bima scheme — banks auto-debit premium from savings account on 1 June each year.
• All three: launched 9 May 2015 — easy anchor date for exam.

Agriculture and Rural Development Schemes

RBI Grade B ESI paper frequently uses these as policy context when discussing rural credit, MSP, or agricultural GDP. PM-KISAN and PMFBY are most tested. PM-KISAN is direct income support of Rs 6000 per year to small and marginal farmers in three instalments of Rs 2000. Think of it as a farmer salary advance in three parts.

• PM-KISAN: Launched December 2018; Rs 6000/year to farmers with less than 2 hectares land; now extended to all farmer families; nodal ministry Agriculture.
• PMFBY (PM Fasal Bima Yojana): Crop insurance; premium 2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi, 5% for horticulture; rest borne by state and centre.
• e-NAM (National Agriculture Market): Online trading portal for agricultural commodities; more than 1000 mandis linked.
• PM Krishi Sinchai Yojana: Har khet ko pani, more crop per drop — irrigation coverage; nodal Jal Shakti Ministry.
• MGNREGS: 100 days guaranteed wage employment; rural household; social audit mandatory; nodal Rural Development Ministry.

Housing and Urban Schemes

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana has two wings — Urban (PMAY-U) and Gramin (PMAY-G). Both target housing for all by originally targeting 2022, now extended. Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme under PMAY-U gives interest subsidy on home loans for EWS/LIG/MIG categories. RBI exams test the subsidy amounts and income slabs.

• PMAY-U: Launched June 2015; target urban poor EWS (income up to Rs 3L), LIG (Rs 3-6L), MIG I (Rs 6-12L), MIG II (Rs 12-18L).
• CLSS subsidy: EWS/LIG get 6.5% interest subsidy on Rs 6 lakh loan; MIG I 4%, MIG II 3%.
• PMAY-G (Gramin): Rs 1.20 lakh in plains, Rs 1.30 lakh in hilly areas per unit; nodal Rural Development Ministry.
• Smart Cities Mission: 100 cities selected; nodal Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
• AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation): Water supply, sewerage, parks in cities above 1 lakh population.

Skill Development and Employment Schemes

These schemes are tested in context of labour market and demographic dividend discussions in ESI. PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana is the flagship skilling scheme. The nodal ministry is Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Questions often ask about target numbers or the body that runs them — National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

• PMKVY (PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana): Free short-term skill training; recognition of prior learning (RPL) component; NSDC implements.
• Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme: Government shares 25% of stipend (up to Rs 1500/month); incentivises employers to hire apprentices.
• DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana): Skill and placement for rural youth aged 15-35.
• PM Internship Scheme 2024: Rs 5000/month stipend; 1 crore internships in 5 years; top 500 companies; announced Union Budget 2024-25.
• Nodal ministry for PMKVY: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Digital and Technology Schemes

With RBI pushing digital payments and CBDC, digital scheme questions are rising in frequency. DigiLocker, UPI, and Digital India umbrella are frequently referenced. Questions test the ministry, launch year, and purpose rather than technical workings.

• Digital India: Umbrella programme; launched July 2015; nodal IT Ministry; three pillars — digital infrastructure, digital services, digital literacy.
• DigiLocker: Cloud-based document wallet; Aadhaar-linked; Ministry of Electronics and IT.
• BharatNet: Optical fibre connectivity to all gram panchayats; DoT nodal; target 2.5 lakh gram panchayats.
• Unified Payment Interface (UPI): NPCI operated; RBI regulated; interoperable real-time payment.
• PM Wani (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface): Public Wi-Fi hotspots without licence; DoT scheme 2020.

• Confusing PMSBY (accidental death only, Rs 20 premium) with PMJJBY (all-cause death, Rs 436 premium) — both give Rs 2 lakh cover but mechanism and premium differ completely.
• Mixing up nodal ministries — PM-SVANidhi is Housing and Urban Affairs, NOT Finance Ministry, even though it involves credit.
• Assuming APY is operated by RBI — it is operated by PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority), not RBI.
• Confusing Stand-Up India (SC/ST + women, Rs 10L-1Cr) with Startup India (any entrepreneur, DPIIT) — they sound similar but serve different purposes.
• Forgetting that PMJDY provides a Rs 2 lakh RuPay accidental cover (basic) and Rs 10,000 overdraft facility — these specific numbers are exam favourites.

• Safety Trinity launched same day 9 May 2015: PMSBY = Suraksha (accident), PMJJBY = Jeevan Jyoti (life), APY = Atal (pension). Accident-Life-Pension = ALP like a train platform — ALP keeps you safe.
• Mudra tiers: SIT — Shishu (baby, up to 50k), Kishore (teenager, 50k-5L), Tarun (adult, 5L-10L). Babies get the least, adults get the most.
• PMJDY anchor: Jan Dhan = People's Wealth. Launched on India's Independence month — August 2014. Zero balance = Zero barrier.
• PMKVY vs DDU-GKY: PMKVY is urban/semi-urban skill training, DDU-GKY is rural youth specific (Grameen is the clue in the name).

• RBI Grade B Phase 1 GA section typically has 3-5 scheme questions. They are almost always direct fact recall — launch year, nodal ministry, benefit amount, or target group. No analysis needed in Phase 1.
• Budget 2024-25 schemes such as PM Internship Scheme and revised PMAY allocations are high probability for 2025 exam cycle. Always check the latest Union Budget scheme announcements 3 months before your exam.
• In Phase 2 ESI paper, schemes appear as policy context in 15-20 mark essay or long-answer questions. Knowing scheme names + their macro-economic purpose (financial inclusion, reducing fiscal deficit through DBT, etc.) gives you edge.
• Questions often use the full official Hindi name to confuse — know that Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana = PMSBY = accidental insurance. Translating the Hindi words helps: Suraksha = Safety, Jeevan Jyoti = Life Light, Jan Dhan = People Wealth.
• Avoid memorising every scheme. Focus on the top 15 high-frequency ones listed here. For the remaining, knowing the nodal ministry logic helps — if it involves farmers, guess Agriculture Ministry; if urban poor, guess Housing Ministry.