Government Policies & Interventions

Impact of Implementation Gaps on social equity and development goals.

Cue Words	Notes
Define public policy and identify its primary development goals.	Meaning: Public Policies are governmental decisions Undertaken to achieve specific goals through interaction between the executive, legislature, bureaucracy, and judiciary. Goal: Welfare, modernization, self-reliance, and equity (Independence goals).
Analyze the various types of public policy in India with examples.	Substantive: Overall welfare (e.g., Right to Education Act - Article 21A). Distributive: Particular sections (e.g., PDS for Food Security). Redistributive: Fundamental social change (e.g., JAM Trinity, DBT Scheme). Capitalization: Financial assistance (e.g., PM Mudra Yojana - PMMY). Regulatory: Control of trade/safety (e.g., RBI, SEBI).
Explain the key characteristics of public policy.	Public Interest: Guided by larger welfare (e.g., Draft Policy on PwD). Collective Action: Action of government officials and stakeholders (e.g., Swachh Bharat Mission). Participatory: Consultative process with various organs. Dynamic & Future-oriented: Anticipates future goals and updates regularly.
Identify key challenges in the public policy cycle and list essential Mains keywords.	Complex Problems: Multi-faceted issues (Poverty, Climate Change). Stakeholder Management: Balancing conflicting priorities. Implementation Gap: Inefficient bureaucracy, corruption, lack of coordination. Policy Evaluation: Neglect of rigorous assessment of outcomes. Key Phrases for Mains: Public Interest; Collective Action; Goal Oriented; Participatory; Substantive Policy; Distributive Policy; JAM Trinity; PM Mudra Yojana; Inclusive Growth; Equitable Distribution; Governance-Saturated; Policy-Verified.
Analyze the launch, core pillars, and impact of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP).	Launch: 2018; vision of New India by 2022. Pillars: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water, Financial Inclusion, Skill Dev, Basic Infra. Mechanism: Convergence (Central/State), Collaboration (Prabhari Officers), Competition (Delta Ranking). Impact: Improving SAM among children (Rs. 1.43 lakh crore benefit); decentralization of development (e.g., Gadchiroli tribal welfare).
Explain the scope and targets of the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) launched in 2023.	Launch: 2023; targeting 500 lagging blocks in 31 states. States: 50% blocks in UP, Bihar, MP, Odisha, Jharkhand, WB. Goal: Taking individual block performance to the next level of developmental parameters.
Summarize the way forward for government policies and interventions.	- Success lies in moving from "Policy Paralysis" to "Impact-Saturated & Equity-Verified Intervention Saturation."

- India's Orange (Creative) Economy is valued at $35 billion and employs 8% of the workforce (second only to agriculture), with over 300 universities and 3,000 colleges offering design/arts/architecture courses; six of India's top 10 creative hubs are in non-metro regions, and Royal Enfield partnered with UNESCO on "The Himalayan Knot" project to protect intangible cultural heritage and support 580+ Himalayan artisans. - Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY): nodal ministry Labour & Employment, implemented via EPFO, targets creation of 3.5 crore jobs over two years; Part A gives first-time EPFO employees (earning up to Rs 1 lakh/month) one month's EPF wage up to Rs 15,000 in two instalments via DBT/Aadhaar Bridge Payment System; Part B gives employers up to Rs 3,000/month for two years (extended to years 3-4 in manufacturing) per new employee retained six-plus months. - PM Vishwakarma Scheme (Central Sector, 100% Union-funded, launched 2023, running 2023-24 to 2027-28) covers 18 traditional trades (carpentry, blacksmithing, pottery, tailoring, masonry, toy-making, basket weaving); artisans get a certificate/ID, Rs 500/day training stipend, toolkit grant up to Rs 15,000, and collateral-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh at 5% interest in two tranches (Rs 1 lakh + Rs 2 lakh), enrolled via CSCs with Aadhaar and Udyam Assist verification. - Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme, launched at the National Urban Conclave under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 (2021-2026), targets 214 of 1,428 remaining legacy landfill sites (about 80% of the waste yet to be remediated, with 49% of landfill area and 41% of waste still unremediated); HUDCO's "Urban Invest Window" will help cities mobilise private capital for remediation and waste-to-energy projects. - PLI scheme (launched March 2020) has driven actual investment of over Rs 1.88 lakh crore across 14 sectors as of June, offering output-linked financial rewards of 4-6% on incremental sales over a time-bound 5-6 year period with a defined sunset clause; Cabinet reopened the application window for the white-goods (AC/LED) PLI scheme originally approved in 2021. - Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (1995) covers informal-sector BPL persons over 65; Atal Pension Yojana (Budget 2015-16) is a contributory scheme for ages 18-40 allowing monthly/quarterly/half-yearly instalments to suit seasonal informal-sector income; the formal-sector Old Pension Scheme was replaced by the contributory New Pension Scheme in 2004, with newly launched NPS 2.0 allowing up to 100% equity allocation via a flexible Multiple Scheme Framework. - Labour Codes introduced a uniform definition of "wages" requiring basic pay to be at least 50% of total earnings, closing the loophole of inflated allowances and raising the base on which pension, gratuity and social security benefits are calculated; the e-SHRAM portal was launched for informal-sector workers to register and access eligible social security schemes. - One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, launched in 2018, promotes unique products of all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh (e.g., Banarasi sarees, Moradabad brassware, Bhadohi carpets) with financial assistance, tools and skill support for artisans and small businesses. - National Productivity Council, established 1958, is an autonomous tripartite body under the DPIIT (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) with equal government-industry-labour representation, working on productivity enhancement via consultancy, training, research and awards. - NPC operates the Dr Ambedkar Institute of Productivity, Chennai and Local Productivity Councils, and serves as a think tank for Viksit Bharat productivity goals covering energy audits, skill development, lean manufacturing and quality management. - CCI notified Cost Regulations 2025 defining predatory pricing costs as Average Variable Cost (AVC = total variable cost / total output), adopting a sector-agnostic, case-by-case framework instead of sector-specific cost definitions. - CCI, established under the Competition Act 2002 and fully operational since 2009, has a Chairperson and 6 members and prevents anti-competitive agreements, curbs abuse of dominant position, and regulates mergers and acquisitions. - Ministry of Rural Development circulated the draft Registration Bill 2025 to replace the 117-year-old Registration Act 1908; SC noted property disputes account for 66% of civil litigation in India, and registration remains a State subject with varying procedures. - Income Tax Act 2025 (effective April 1, 2026) replaces the Income Tax Act 1961, cutting sections from 819 to 536 and chapters from 47 to 23, allowing ITR updates up to 4 years from the relevant assessment year and limiting assessment reopening to 5 years. - Income Tax Act 2025 empowers officials to access 'virtual digital space' (personal emails, WhatsApp, social media, electronic records) during search operations and compel access codes/passwords, versus Section 132 of the 1961 Act which covered only physical spaces. - Cabinet approved the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 to prohibit real-money games (RMGs), citing financial losses of Rs 15,000 crore, compulsive behaviour, family disruption, terror funding, tax evasion and opaque algorithms. - Government unveiled the draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025 (National Labour Policy), pledging strict enforcement of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 in line with Directive Principle Article 42 and ILO Convention 155, with a "near-zero fatalities" goal by 2047. - Draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025 proposes making the Ministry of Labour an AI-driven employment facilitator via the National Career Service (NCS) for job matching, a green-tech vision (AI-enhanced safety, reskilling coal workers per SDG 13/Article 21), and convergence via an LEPEI (Labour & Employment Policy Evaluation Index) dashboard linked to NEP and Digital India. - Shram Shakti Niti 2025 introduces a portable Universal Social Security Account merging EPFO, ESIC, PMJAY, e-SHRAM and State boards, built on the DIGIPIN geolocation system. - PM's Independence Day address announced the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana - a one-time Rs 15,000 grant to first-time private-sector employees plus incentives for employers to create jobs. - PM announced India will launch "Made-in-India" semiconductor chips by end-2025 and aims to increase nuclear energy capacity 10-fold via 10 nuclear plants by 2047.