Which central government scheme aims at providing free health check ups for pregnant women during the first six months of pregnancy?

Introduction / Context:
The Government of India has launched several flagship schemes aimed at improving maternal and child health, financial inclusion, rural development and education. This question focuses on one specific health scheme designed to provide free and quality antenatal check ups for pregnant women, particularly during the crucial first six months of pregnancy. Recognising the correct scheme and its objective is a common requirement in general knowledge and current affairs examinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The scheme mentioned in the question is aimed at providing free health check ups to pregnant women in the first six months of pregnancy.
The options include Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan and Vidyanjali Yojana.
It is assumed that you are aware of the broad focus of each of these schemes and can match them with their target groups and goals.

Concept / Approach:
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) is a national programme that provides free, fixed day, quality antenatal care to pregnant women on the ninth of every month. It focuses especially on women in the second and third trimesters, ensuring at least one check up in each trimester and better monitoring of high risk pregnancies. The other schemes in the options serve different purposes: Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan is about village level awareness and development, Ujjwala Yojana focuses on providing LPG connections to women from poor households, and Vidyanjali Yojana relates to community participation in schools. The approach is to correctly associate maternal health check ups with PMSMA.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine option C, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. The word matritva indicates a focus on motherhood and maternal health. The scheme is known for providing free antenatal check ups to pregnant women. Step 2: Recall that PMSMA offers special antenatal clinics on the ninth of every month, where pregnant women, especially those in the second and third trimesters, receive free check ups by medical specialists. Step 3: Now consider option A, Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan. This campaign is more broadly about strengthening rural development, promoting agriculture and social harmony, and is not a targeted antenatal health scheme. Step 4: Option B, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, is aimed at providing LPG connections to women from below poverty line households to reduce dependence on polluting cooking fuels; it does not specifically provide pregnancy related health check ups. Step 5: Option D, Vidyanjali Yojana, is designed to encourage community and private sector participation in government schools, focusing on education rather than health check ups. Step 6: Only Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan aligns with the description of free health check ups for pregnant women during the first six months of pregnancy.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative way to confirm is to associate each scheme name with a keyword: Gram Uday with rural awakening, Ujjwala with clean cooking fuel, Surakshit Matritva with safe motherhood and Vidyanjali with education and volunteering. Only the safe motherhood scheme fits the maternal health check up description. This matches the focus on free antenatal care services as described in government communications about PMSMA.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan: A broad rural awareness and development campaign, not specifically a maternal health check up scheme. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Focused on providing LPG connections to poor households to improve health indirectly by reducing indoor air pollution, but it does not organise free antenatal check ups. Vidyanjali Yojana: A programme to involve volunteers in school education, not connected to pregnancy related health services.

Common Pitfalls:
Because many schemes have similar sounding names and use phrases like Pradhan Mantri or Abhiyan, students sometimes confuse their objectives. Another pitfall is assuming that any scheme linked to women must be related to maternity services, which is not always the case. To avoid this, connect each scheme with a central keyword in your mind: cooking fuel for Ujjwala, safe motherhood for Surakshit Matritva, rural awakening for Gram Uday and school volunteering for Vidyanjali.

Final Answer:
The scheme aimed at providing free health check ups for pregnant women during the first six months of pregnancy is Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan.