Employment & Welfare Schemes (Part – II)

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative set up by NITI Aayog to create and promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the length and breadth of our country. AIM's objective is to develop new programmes and policies for fostering innovation in different sectors of the economy, provide platforms and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders and create an umbrella structure to oversee the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country.

NIDHI (National Initiative for Development and Harnessing Innovations), an umbrella program is pioneered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, for nurturing ideas and innovations (knowledge- based and technology-driven) into successful startups. Its aim is to financially support 20 students for startup in each year.

'SWAYAM' (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme initiated by the Government of India and designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy viz., access, equity and quality. The objective of this effort is to take the best teaching learning resources to all, including the most disadvantaged. SWAYAM seeks to bridge the digital divide for students who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy.

This is done through a platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from class 9 till post graduation to be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. All the courses are interactive, prepared by the best teachers in the country and are available, free of cost to any learner.

Ministry of Human Resource Development (Now Ministry of Education) has launched Unnat Bharat Abhiyan with an aim to connect institutions of higher education, including HITS, NITs and IISERs etc. with local communities of rural India to address the development challenges through appropriate technologies.

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is inspired by the vision of transformational change in rural development processes by leveraging knowledge institutions to help build the architecture of an inclusive India. The mission of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan is to work with the people of rural India in identifying development challenges and evolving appropriate solutions for accelerating sustainable growth.

Vidyanjali is an initiative taken by the Ministry of Education. Government of India with the aim to strengthen Schools through community and private sector involvement in schools across the country. This initiative would connect schools with varied volunteers from the Indian Diaspora namely, young professionals, school alumni, in service and retired teachers/Government officials/professionals and many others. Vidyanjali has two verticals: "Participate in school Service/Activity" and "Assets/Material/Equipment" in which volunteer can support and strengthen the govemment and government aided schools.

The scheme 'Apna Gaon, Apna Kam' was started by the Rajasthan Government in January, 1991 with the following objectives:

1. Construction of public properties in villages for daily uses of the people.

2. Creation of additional employment opportunities in rural areas.

3. Promotion of self-confidence and self-dependence in local community.

4. Upgradation of living standard of rural population.

The scheme 'Apna Gaon, Apna Kam' was started by the Rajasthan Government in January, 1991 with the following objectives:

1. Construction of public properties in villages for daily uses of the people.

2. Creation of additional employment opportunities in rural areas.

3. Promotion of self-confidence and self-dependence in local community.

4. Upgradation of living standard of rural population.

Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna - 'Saubhagya', a new scheme, was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 25 September, 2017. Under Saubhagya scheme free electricity connections to all households (both APL and BPL families in rural areas and BPL families in urban areas) were provided. Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) was designated as its nodal agency for the Saubhagya Scheme.

Ministry of Power was associated with "Saubhagya (PM Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) Scheme', which was started in 2017, with the objective of achieving universal household electrification, by providing electricity connections to all un- electrified households in rural areas and all poor households in urban areas in the country. As on 31 March, 2022, a total 2.86 crore households have been electrified since the launch of this scheme and the scheme stands closed,

'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' (PMJDY) is a National Mission for Financial Inclusion. The programme was launched on 28 August, 2014 with an aim of ensuring access to financial services to all families of the country and to open bank account to every family.

Total number of PMJDY Accounts till 5 June, 2024 were 52.39 crore, in which rural/semi-urban PMJDY accounts were 34.87 crore and women PMJDY accounts were 29.13 crore.