India runs over 950 central + state welfare schemes. Most citizens do not know which ones they qualify for. This guide is the single trusted hub β pick who you are (student / farmer / woman / urban / poor / senior / worker), see what you can claim, get the exact application steps, and use a free RTI to unblock anything stuck. No agents, no fees.
| Scheme | Who's it for | What you get |
| Ayushman Bharat | SECC families + every 70+ citizen | βΉ5 lakh free hospitalisation/year |
| PMAY 2.0 | EWS/LIG/MIG households | βΉ1.20 β 2.50 lakh house subsidy |
| PM-KISAN | Small/marginal farmers | βΉ6,000/year cash transfer |
| MGNREGA | Rural adults 18+ | 100 days work @ βΉ220β340/day |
| Ujjwala 2.0 | Women in BPL / SECC families | Free LPG connection + 12 cylinders/year |
| PM Mudra | Micro-entrepreneurs | Loans βΉ50kβ20 lakh, no collateral |
| Atal Pension Yojana | Workers 18β40 | βΉ1kβ5k/month pension after 60 |
| Sukanya Samriddhi | Girl child < 10 | 8.2% interest tax-free savings |
| e-Shram | Unorganised workers 16β59 | βΉ2 lakh accident cover + DBT eligibility |
| Jan Dhan | Anyone without a bank account | Zero-balance account + RuPay card |
The published SLA on every government scheme is in its operational guidelines. If your status is delayed beyond it, you have a statutory right under Β§6 RTI Act 2005 to demand information β reply mandatory in 30 days (Β§7(1)). Default fee βΉ10. BPL applicants pay nothing (Β§7(5)).
β πͺ Use the AI RTI Drafter β drafts your Β§6(1) application in 60 seconds, scheme-aware (auto-suggests the right authority + 5β7 questions to ask).
β π€ AwaazRTI β speak in ΰ€Ήΰ€Ώΰ€¨ΰ₯ΰ€¦ΰ₯ / English / 9 other Indian languages.
β β First Appeal Builder β for Day 31 if PIO doesn't reply.
| Feature | Central scheme | State scheme |
| Funded by | Government of India (or shared 60:40 / 90:10 with states) | State government primarily |
| Examples | Ayushman Bharat, PMAY, PM-KISAN | Maharashtra Awas, TN CMAY, Kerala LIFE |
| Eligibility | Pan-India uniform | State-specific |
| Apply | Central portal (e.g., pmkisan.gov.in) | State portal (e.g., aaplesarkar.maharashtra.gov.in) |
| Where to escalate | RTI to central PIO | RTI to state PIO |
Most central schemes have a state-level top-up β for example, PMAY has Rajasthan's Chiranjeevi (βΉ25 lakh extra), and Ayushman Bharat works with Maharashtra's MJPJAY (βΉ10 lakh extra). Always check both.
Yes β every official government scheme has zero application fee. Some forms have a printing fee at Common Service Centres (βΉ20β50) but the application itself is free. Anyone asking for thousands of rupees as βscheme processing feeβ is a scammer.
Most are residents-only. Aadhaar (which requires Indian residency under FEMA) is a hard gate for almost every scheme. Some financial schemes (NPS, mutual funds) have NRI options through a separate process.
Yes β schemes are stackable unless explicitly mutually exclusive. For example, a small farmer can hold PM-KISAN + KCC + PMFBY + Ayushman Bharat + PMAY-G simultaneously. Check each scheme's exclusion clause.
Use the MyScheme portal (https://myscheme.gov.in) β government's one-stop eligibility checker. Or browse our category pages above by your situation.
File RTI under Β§6 + Β§4(1)(d) demanding the reasoned grounds for rejection. The PIO must give a written, citable reason. If grounds are wrong/unfair, file First Appeal under Β§19(1) within 30 days.
No. RTI is designed for citizens to use directly. Use our free AI RTI Drafter β drafts your application in 60 seconds.
Varies by scheme β typically 30β90 days for sanction. Specific SLAs:
Refuse and report. File complaint with: (a) District Magistrate, (b) State Vigilance, Β© Lokpal / Lokayukta, (d) CVC (cvc.gov.in) for central officials. Whistleblower protection under PIDPI Act 2014.
Generally no β applications require the beneficiary's own Aadhaar OTP. Some schemes allow a relative to apply with legal authorisation letter (notarised). Senior citizens / disabled can apply via CSC with operator assistance.
MyScheme portal (govt) β searchable, filterable. National Scheme Index at india.gov.in.
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Last reviewed: 3 May 2026 β RTI Wiki editorial team. All scheme details verified against primary government portals.