Mains GS Paper IIGovernance & Public PolicyHigh-yield

Welfare Schemes — Flagship Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Beneficiaries & Delivery

कल्याण योजनाएं — प्रमुख केंद्र प्रायोजित योजनाएं, लाभार्थी और वितरण

Welfare Schemes — Flagship Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Beneficiaries & Delivery is part of the UPSC Mains GS Paper II syllabus, under Governance & Public Policy. It appeared in Mains GS Paper II question papers in 5 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025 (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024). It is marked high-yield: a topic worth revising more than once.

What should you study in Welfare Schemes?

  • Flagship schemes — PM-KISAN, MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission
  • Implementation challenges — last-mile delivery, exclusion errors, leakages
  • DBT implementation — LPG subsidy example, PFMS
  • Citizen charters — Section 4 RTI, Sevottam model

How often is Welfare Schemes asked in UPSC Mains?

Asked in 5 of 10 years, including 2 of the last 5. Highlighted years below are the ones it appeared in.

  1. 2016: asked
  2. 2017: not asked
  3. 2018: asked
  4. 2019: not asked
  5. 2020: asked
  6. 2021: not asked
  7. 2022: asked
  8. 2023: not asked
  9. 2024: asked
  10. 2025: not asked

About the Mains GS Paper II paper

GS Paper II is a 250-mark descriptive Mains paper covering governance, the Constitution, polity, social justice and international relations. See all 40 Mains GS Paper II topics.

Related topics to study next

Syllabus: UPSC Civil Services notification. Topic breakdown, subtopics and PYQ years: GS Score UPSC Syllabus 2026-27 booklet. Sources & credits

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