Government Schemes & Social Justice (June 2025 )

1. PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) — THE FLAGSHIP

The Union Cabinet officially approved this mega-scheme in June 2025. It is designed as the "Aspirational Districts Programme" for agriculture.

• Target: 100 Aspirational Agricultural Districts (low productivity, low credit, moderate crop intensity).
• Coverage: Will benefit approximately 1.7 crore farmers over 6 years.
• Key Pillars:
  1. Productivity Boost: Bridging the yield gap using climate-resilient seeds and mechanization.
  2. Sustainability: Promotion of Natural/Organic Farming and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM).
  3. Infrastructure: Augmenting Post-Harvest Storage (Silos, Cold Storages) at the Panchayat and Block levels to reduce waste.
  4. Credit: Implementation of a "Grameen Credit Score" framework by Public Sector Banks specifically for SHGs and small farmers.
• Convergence Model: It integrates 36 existing schemes across 11 Departments to ensure no duplication of effort.

2. PM-KISAN: The 20th Installment Release

• The Event: The 20th installment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi was released by the PM in late June 2025.
• The Numbers: Over ₹20,500 crore was disbursed directly to approximately 9.7 crore farmers.
• Mandatory e-KYC: The government reinforced that Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts and Face Authentication (via the PM-Kisan mobile app) are now compulsory to prevent leakages.
• Tech Integration: The launch of Kisan eMitra (AI Chatbot) was highlighted for providing query resolution in local languages.

3. Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses

• Context: Aiming for self-sufficiency in pulses by 2027.
• Action: In June 2025, the government announced a 6-year roadmap focusing on:
  • Development of short-duration varieties.
  • Targeting the "Rice Fallows" of Eastern India (Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal) for pulse cultivation.
  • Guaranteed procurement at Remunerative Prices.

4. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) — June Special

• Month of Action: June is observed globally for drug abuse awareness. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) organized a month-long Jan Andolan.
• Stat: Over 15 crore people have now been sensitized under NMBA.
• Expansion: In June 2025, the Ministry signed MoUs with spiritual organizations (Art of Living, ISKCON, etc.) to use their networks for rehabilitation and counseling.
• Geo-tagging: All de-addiction facilities were geo-tagged on a public dashboard for easy access.

5. Welfare of Senior Citizens (NCSrC Meeting)

• The Meeting: The 4th meeting of the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC) was held in June 2025.
• Key Outcome: Approval of the "Elderly-First" Integrated Healthcare Model, linking the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) with Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY).
• Training: A new sub-scheme for the Training of Geriatric Caregivers was fast-tracked to create 50,000 jobs.

6. SMILE Scheme Progress

• SMILE: Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise.
• June Update: The Ministry reported the rehabilitation of 7,500+ individuals engaged in begging across 181 pilot cities.
• New Component: Inclusion of Waste Pickers under the Ayushman Bharat insurance cover as a "socially vulnerable occupational group."

7. Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats

• Launch: A pilot project began in June 2025 to develop one Gram Panchayat per district as "Women-Friendly."
• Indicators: 100% institutional delivery, zero dropouts for girl students, and active Mahila Sabhas.

8. Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0 (Expansion)

• Upgradation: In June 2025, the government prioritized the conversion of 40,000 normal Anganwadis into "Saksham Anganwadis" equipped with digital learning tools and better nutritional kits for adolescent girls in Aspirational Districts.

9. Zero-Dose Children Decline (Global Exemplar)

• The News: In June 2025, the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation acknowledged India as a "Global Exemplar."
• The Stat: India’s percentage of Zero-dose children (children who haven't received even the first dose of DTP vaccine) declined from 0.11% in 2023 to 0.06% in 2024-25.
• Mechanism: Credited to Mission Indradhanush and the U-WIN platform, which digitizes the vaccination status of 2.6 crore annual births.

10. Zero Measles-Rubella (MR) Campaign

• Launch: Originally launched in April 2025, but June saw the first quarterly review showing a 28% reduction in cases.
• Target: Complete MR Elimination by 2026.
• Update: In June, the ministry introduced a new Training Module for Programme Managers specifically for Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) to strengthen the "last-mile" delivery of MR vaccines.

11. Ayushman App (Face-Auth Integration)

• Update: The National Health Authority (NHA) updated the Ayushman App in June 2025.