- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 7th March, 2013 approved the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA) for the 12th Five Year Plan period. - The goal of RGPSA is to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system across the country and address criticalgaps that constrain it. - Though the key role of Panchayats in rural governance and socio-econom...

- UPA government has launched a programme named 'Swabhiman' which aims at opening 5 crores nofrills accounts by March 2012 in over 73000 villages. - 'Swabhiman' is one of the two ambitious programmes of the UPA regime to spread financial inclusion. - The other programme- 'Swava- lamban' - has already been launched in September last year. - The Centre provides Rs. 1,000 as pension for the poor i...

- In the fourth plan, assistance was provided to the unemployed graduates and diploma holders for opening Agro-Service Centres. - The main objectives of this plan are as follows : To provide self-employment opportunities to the technical labour. To provide maintenance and repairing facilities for agricultural machinery and tools to farmers at their farm places only. To establish convenient cen...

- Drinking water SlIpply is one of the components of Bharat Nirman. - Under the NRDWP, the goal is to ensure that every rural person in the country has access to 70 litre of water per capita per day (1 pcd) within their household premises or at a distance of not more than 50 metre by 2022. - The present status of provision of safe drinking water in rural areas as measured by habitations where th...

- The Indian Government started a 'Kutir-Jyoti Programme' in 1988-89 for improving the living standards of the scheduled caste and tribal families, including the rural families who live below the poverty line. - Under this programme, a government assistance of Rs. 400 is provided to the families who are living below the poverty line (including Dalits and Adivasi) for providing single point electr...