The Ministry of Communications launched a pan India scholarship programme for school children called “Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana”. The main objective of this scheme is to increase the reach of which activity among students?

Introduction / Context:
Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana is a scholarship scheme launched by the Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications. The name SPARSH stands for Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby. This programme specifically targets school children and uses scholarships as an incentive to encourage a particular educational and cultural hobby. The question asks which activity the Government intends to promote through this scheme, which is an important piece of current affairs regarding youth oriented government programmes.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The scheme is called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana.
It is a pan India scholarship programme for school children.
It is launched by the Ministry of Communications and Department of Posts.
The acronym SPARSH expands to a phrase related to stamps and research.
The options include sports, philately, music and web designing.

Concept / Approach:
The key concept is understanding that philately, the collection and study of postage stamps, has historically been encouraged by postal departments worldwide as a way to preserve history, culture and themes depicted on stamps. The Department of Posts in India designed Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana to revive interest in philately among the younger generation, by offering scholarships to students with demonstrated aptitude in stamp collecting and related activities. Once this link between SPARSH and philately is known, the correct option is easy to identify.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Expand the acronym SPARSH as Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude and Research in Stamps as a Hobby. Step 2: Recognise that stamps as a hobby immediately point to philately, which is the technical term for stamp collecting and the study of postal history. Step 3: Note that the Department of Posts is naturally the ministry most closely associated with stamps, postal services and philately rather than with sports, music or web designing. Step 4: Observe that the scholarship is aimed at school children who are members of philately clubs and who participate in philatelic projects. Step 5: Therefore, the objective of Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana is to increase the reach of philately among students.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification can be obtained by remembering how the scheme was covered in news. Headlines often clearly mentioned that the scholarship was to promote philately. Additionally, exam oriented current affairs notes expand SPARSH and explicitly mention philately as the targeted hobby. Since none of the other options match the full form of SPARSH or the mandate of the Department of Posts, philately is confirmed as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (sports) is incorrect because sports promotion is generally handled by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, not by the postal department, and there is no mention of sports in the full form of SPARSH.
Option C (music) is incorrect as the scheme does not address performing arts or music education. It is centred on stamp collecting and research into stamps.
Option D (web designing) is incorrect because digital skills initiatives fall under different programmes such as Digital India and various IT related schemes, not under a scholarship whose acronym is explicitly related to stamps.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may not know the meaning of the word philately and therefore fail to connect the dots between stamps and the given options. Others may ignore the role of the Department of Posts and guess sports or music based on the popularity of such activities. To avoid this, aspirants should familiarise themselves with less common terms like philately and also pay attention to which ministry launches which scheme, because that often reveals the nature of the targeted sector.

Final Answer:
The Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana aims to promote philately, that is, the hobby of collecting and studying postage stamps, among school children across India.