NATIONAL SCHEMES

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Background: In Satara, Maharashtra, the ‘Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana’ beneficiaries’ conference and the ‘Maha Awas Abhiyan’ state-level awards ceremony were held.
Till now, three crore houses have been built across the country under this scheme.

About Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

- This scheme was introduced in two phases
  - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban – in 2015
  - Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural – in 2016

- The objective s of this scheme is to set up affordable permanent houses for poor families living in urban and rural areas.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Rural

- - This scheme operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development.

- - Selection of Beneficiaries: Priority is given to landless families in this scheme; further, at least 60% of national-level targets are allocated for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) families.

- - In plain areas, 60:40 ratio between the Central and State Governments
  - For Northeastern and Himalayan states, 90:10 ratio
  - For Union Territories, 100% Central Government financial assistance

- For beneficiaries in plain areas, Rs. 1.20 lakh
- For beneficiaries in hilly or difficult geographical terrain areas, Rs. 1.30 lakh

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban

- - This urban housing scheme is managed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

- - Providing affordable housing solutions to poor people living in urban areas, especially those living in slums, is the main objective of this scheme.
  - This scheme primarily operates as a ‘Centrally Sponsored Scheme’.

- - All statutory towns listed in the 2011 Census, as well as towns notified later by the State Governments, come under the scope of this scheme.

- For Northeastern and Himalayan states, 90:10 fund sharing ratio
- For Union Territories, 100% Central Government financial assistance
- For other states and Union Territories with legislature, 60:40 fund sharing method

Scheme for Promoting Coal / Lignite Gasification Projects

Context : As a measure to strengthen energy security, the Union Cabinet has approved a new scheme to promote the process of converting coal and lignite into synthesis gas (Syngas) through gasification.

About Coal Gasification

Coal gasification is a thermo-chemical process that converts coal into a versatile and combustible gas mixture called ‘synthesis gas’ or ‘Syngas’.
Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen, it is used to produce various by-products such as urea, methanol, synthetic natural gas (SNG), and ammonia.
Current status of Coal and Lignite in India: Coal reserves (401 billion tonnes); Lignite reserves (47 billion tonnes).

Objectives

Its primary objective is to diversify the utilization of India’s vast coal reserves and to achieve the national target of 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal gasification by the year 2030.

Key Features of the Scheme

Ministry: Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
Financial Allocation: A total financial allocation of ₹37,500 crore has been made to incentivize projects aiming to gasify around 75 million tonnes (MT) of coal or lignite.
Incentive: Financial assistance is capped at 20% of the total cost of plant and machinery.
Selection Process: Projects will be selected through a transparent and competitive bidding process, using project cost and production capacity as criteria.
Long-term Policy Commitment: The government has extended the ‘Coal Linkage’ duration for coal gasification projects up to 30 years; this provides the stability required for long-term investments.
Technology-Agnostic Approach: Although this scheme allows the use of various technologies, it actively encourages the adoption of indigenously developed coal gasification technologies.

Significance

India’s import expenditure on alternative products to coal, such as LNG and urea, stood at ₹2.77 lakh crore in the financial year 2025.
This scheme advances a self-reliant India (Atmanirbhar Bharat) by producing these domestically from indigenous coal.