Which of the following ministry is associated with "Saubhagya Scheme", started in 2017?
- (a)Ministry of Agriculture
- (b)Ministry of Power
- (c)Ministry of Defence
- (d)Ministry of Law and Justice
Correct — B, Ministry of Power. The Saubhagya Scheme (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana), launched in September 2017, was run by the Ministry of Power to provide last-mile electricity connections to un-electrified rural and poor urban households.
- (a)Ministry of Agriculture — Handles farm-sector schemes such as crop insurance and irrigation, not household electrification.
- (c)Ministry of Defence — Deals with the armed forces and national defence; unconnected to a rural electrification scheme.
- (d)Ministry of Law and Justice — Deals with legislation and the judiciary; unconnected to power-sector schemes.
Saubhagya (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) was launched by the Ministry of Power in September 2017 with the goal of universal household electrification — providing free electricity connections to willing un-electrified households, especially poor (BPL) rural households, as the 'last mile' step after village-level electrification schemes.
MPPSC and UPSC frequently test 'which ministry runs scheme X' as a direct match; the trap is assuming a welfare-sounding scheme name belongs to a social-sector ministry rather than the actual sectoral ministry that administers it. Anchor: Saubhagya = 'Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar' = electricity = Ministry of Power.
- Full name: Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (Saubhagya)
- Launched in September 2017 by the Ministry of Power
- Goal: last-mile household electrification, especially for BPL rural households
- Free electricity connections were provided to eligible poor households under the scheme
- Assuming a welfare-sounding scheme name belongs to a social ministry rather than the actual sectoral ministry
- Confusing Saubhagya (electrification) with Ujjwala (LPG connections) or UJALA (LED bulb distribution)
MPPSC typically asks 'which ministry is associated with scheme X' as a direct match; UPSC leans toward matching a scheme's stated objective to its name.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana', aimed at providing free LPG connections to poor households, falls under which ministry?
- (a)Ministry of Power
- (b)Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
- (c)Ministry of Rural Development
- (d)Ministry of Consumer Affairs
Answer(b) Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The primary objective of the 'Saubhagya' scheme was:
- (a)Universal household electrification
- (b)Free cooking gas connections
- (c)Piped drinking water to every household
- (d)Housing for the urban poor
Answer(a) Universal household electrification.