Schemes for Removing Inequality
Reducing inequality—especially social, economic, and regional disparities—is a critical component of India’s development agenda. Key schemes include:
- Reservation Policies: India has implemented reservation policies in education, employment, and political representation for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) to ensure social and economic equality.
- National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP): This program provides social security to the elderly, disabled, and families living below the poverty line, ensuring financial support for marginalized groups.
- Stand Up India Scheme: This scheme encourages entrepreneurship among women, SC, and ST communities by providing financial support for setting up greenfield enterprises in manufacturing, services, and trading sectors.
- Skill Development Programs: Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) focus on imparting vocational skills to youth, especially from marginalized communities, to increase employment opportunities and reduce inequality.
- Skill India Mission: Aiming to train millions of youth, this mission focuses on improving the employability of individuals, especially from economically backward and rural areas.
- Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): This program is designed to ensure that the poorest of the poor have access to subsidized food, reducing hunger and malnutrition and improving their standard of living.
- National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM): NRLM focuses on improving the economic status of rural women and marginalized communities by organizing them into self-help groups and providing access to credit, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities.