Year-ender 2021: Key govt schemes launched for public welfare this year; check out details

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government launched several schemes this year amid the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic while extending a few of them to give relief to people from different segments of society.

From education to health and skill development, many initiatives were taken by the government to benefit the people.  

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Below mentioned are some of the flagship schemes launched by the government in 2021: 

1. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) Insurance Scheme - The scheme was extended by the central government in June this year for health workers who were fighting the COVID-19 pandemic with effect from April 24, 2021. Under the ambit of PMGKP, the families of health workers' would get Rs 50 lakh compensation in case of personal accidents. The scheme was initially launched on March 30, 2020 for 90 days to provide personal accident cover to all healthcare providers, comprising private health workers as well as community health workers. 

2. Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana - Launched in August this year, the scheme is aimed at upskilling the youth of the country by providing skill development training. It also aims at providing entrepreneurship education in order to enable better business opportunities for the youth. 

3. PM Mentoring Yuva Scheme - A mentorship programme to train young authors, 'Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors' (YUVA) scheme was launched in June this year. It is aimed at training and grooming young authors and is designed to ensure the creation of a pool of authors below 30 years of age who are ready to express themselves and project India and its culture globally. Under the mentorship scheme, a consolidated scholarship of Rs 50,000 per month will be paid for a period of six months per author. 

4. e-Shram Portal- The government launched a new scheme called E-SHRAM Portal Scheme in August this year to help the unorganised sector. The platform will act like a national database for the launch of welfare schemes for unorganised sector workers and labourers. Those registered on the portal will get a Unique Identification Number (UAN) Card from the labour ministry. So far, over 14 crore workers are registered on the e-Shram portal, according to the labour ministry. 

5. Gram Ujala Yojana- Launched in March this year, the scheme aims at providing high-quality electricity to villages across the country. Under the programme, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) will sell LED bulbs to the rural population at Rs 10 per piece. 

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6. PM Umeed Scheme - Launched in April this year, the scheme aims to provide skill training to around three lakh youths to become entrepreneurs till 2025-26. Under the ambit of the scheme, loans and employment will be provided to the youth of the country. 

7. Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) scheme - Launched in July this year, the scheme aims at facilitating the academic mobility of students giving them the freedom to study across the higher educational institutions in India with the help of "credit transfer" mechanism. The scheme is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) of the government. 

8. Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana - The scheme aims to impart skill development training to the youth of the country. Launched in August this year, the scheme aims to empower the youth by offering entry-level training in industry-relevant skills through Indian Railways training institutes. 

9. PM Daksh Yojana - The scheme aims to improve competency levels of eligible target groups including members of SC communities as well as the poorer section of the OBC communities. It has been implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from the year 2021-22. The scheme is a National Action Plan for skilling marginalised sections of the population including OBCs, SCs, DNTs, EBCs, and sanitation workers comprising waster pickers.