Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The Government of India runs many schemes aimed at different target groups, such as rural youth, farmers, urban poor and overseas workers. Some of these schemes are specifically designed as social security packages, combining pension and insurance benefits. This question asks you to identify which named scheme is a special social security scheme for overseas Indian workers that includes pension and life insurance, so that you can distinguish it from other development or infrastructure programmes.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The schemes listed include skill development and rural energy schemes as well as a scheme aimed at overseas Indians.
- Option A refers to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, which is a rural skill development scheme.
- Option B refers to Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, which is related to rural electricity infrastructure.
- Option C refers to Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana, which is a social security scheme for Indian workers abroad.
- Option D, Indradanush Scheme, relates to sectoral reforms such as banking or immunisation, not directly to a bundled pension and life insurance for overseas workers.
Concept / Approach:
The key words in the question are special social security scheme, overseas Indian workers, pension and life insurance. Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana was designed to provide a combination of pension, life insurance and other social security benefits to Indian emigrant workers, particularly those in certain foreign labour markets. The approach is to match these features to the scheme names and purposes. The other schemes listed either focus on rural skill training, power distribution or unrelated reform areas and do not fit the description of a combined pension and insurance social security scheme for overseas workers.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the target group specified in the question: overseas Indian workers, sometimes referred to as expatriate or migrant workers.
Step 2: Look for a scheme name that clearly suggests a connection with overseas Indians. The term Pravasi in Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana directly indicates non resident or migrant Indians.
Step 3: Recall that Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana was framed as a social security scheme, offering pension, life insurance and other related benefits for eligible workers.
Step 4: Note that Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana relates to skill development of rural youth within India, not overseas workers.
Step 5: Observe that Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana deals with rural power supply and not social security.
Step 6: Recognise that Indradanush Scheme is linked to other sectors and does not specifically provide a combined pension and life insurance package for overseas workers.
Step 7: Therefore, the correct choice that fits all parts of the description is Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, a learner can consult summaries of major Government schemes in standard current affairs material. These clearly describe Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana as a social security scheme meant for overseas Indian workers, with components such as pension and life insurance. In contrast, the skill development and power schemes are always grouped under rural and infrastructure development, and Indradanush is discussed in different contexts such as public sector banking reforms or immunisation drives. This clear separation of subject areas supports the conclusion that Option C is correct.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, is wrong because it aims at enhancing employable skills among rural youth and does not bundle pension and life insurance as a social security package for overseas workers.
Option B, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, is wrong because it focuses on ensuring quality power supply in rural areas and strengthening the distribution network, not on social security for migrants.
Option D, Indradanush Scheme, is wrong because it relates to other policy areas, such as banking recapitalisation or immunisation, and not to a dedicated pension and life insurance scheme for overseas workers.
Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to select a scheme solely based on familiarity with the name, without checking whether its objective matches the description in the question. Another pitfall is confusing various schemes named after national leaders and assuming they all have similar goals. Students may also overlook the significance of the word Pravasi, which clearly indicates overseas or migrant Indians. Reading scheme names carefully and linking them to their core objectives is essential for avoiding such errors.
Final Answer:
The special social security scheme that includes both pension and life insurance benefits for overseas Indian workers is Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojana.
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