Top Government Schemes in India (2026)

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 — 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.

• ₹5 lakh free hospital cover — Ayushman Bharat (every 70+ citizen, plus SECC families). → Apply
• ₹6,000/year cash to farmers — PM-KISAN. → Check status
• ₹1.20–2.50 lakh house subsidy — PMAY-G + PMAY-U 2.0 (Sept 2024 expansion). → Full guide
• Free LPG connection + 12 cylinders — Ujjwala Yojana 2.0. → Apply
• Loans up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral — PM Mudra. → Loan types
• ₹12,000 maternity benefit — PM Matru Vandana Yojana. → Eligibility
• Pension after 60 — ₹1k–5k/month — Atal Pension Yojana. → Open account
• Worker e-card + ₹2 lakh accident cover — e-Shram. → Register
• Stuck or rejected? 🪄 Draft a free RTI in 60 seconds → reply mandatory in 30 days.

• PM-KISAN — ₹6,000/year direct cash
• PM Fasal Bima Yojana — crop insurance, premium 1.5–2%
• Kisan Credit Card — ₹3 lakh @ 4% effective interest
• Soil Health Card — free soil testing
• e-NAM — sell crops online to all-India buyers
• MGNREGA — 100 days work, ₹220–340/day depending on state

• PM Matru Vandana Yojana — ₹6,000–12,000 maternity benefit
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana — 8.2% interest girl-child savings
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao — education + scholarship support
• Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 — free LPG connection
• PMAY (in woman's name) — house subsidy
• e-Shram — ₹2 lakh accident cover for unorganised workers

• National Scholarship Portal — 100+ central + state scholarships
• PM eVIDYA — free digital classes, textbooks
• Skill India / PMKVY — free skill training + ₹8,000 reward
• DigiLocker — store mark sheets, certificates
• Learn AI from scratch (RTI Wiki guide)
• UPSC preparation strategy

• Ayushman Bharat — ₹5 lakh free hospitalisation
• PMAY-G / PMAY-U 2.0 — house subsidy
• Ujjwala 2.0 — free LPG
• PM Jan Dhan Yojana — zero-balance account + ₹2 lakh accident cover
• Saubhagya Yojana — free electricity connection
• Jal Jeevan Mission — tap water connection

• PMAY-U 2.0 — Beneficiary-Led Construction / AHP / ARHC / Interest Subsidy
• PM SVANidhi — ₹10k–50k loans for street vendors
• e-Sanjeevani — free online doctor consultation
• ONDC — sell on government's e-commerce alternative
• UPI / BHIM — digital payments
• DigiLocker — paperless documents

• Ayushman Bharat for 70+ — ₹5 lakh free hospital regardless of income
• Atal Pension Yojana — ₹1k–5k/month after 60
• Senior Citizen Card — discounts + priority
• RTI for delayed pension — 8-month rule

• e-Shram — universal worker registration + benefits
• MGNREGA — 100-day rural employment
• National Career Service — free job portal
• PM SVANidhi — vendor loans
• RTI to demand pending wages

1. 💰 Financial Support — Loans, DBT, Pension
2. 🏥 Health & Insurance
3. 🏠 Housing & Basic Needs
4. 🎓 Education & Skill Development
5. 🌾 Farmer & Agriculture
6. 👩 Women & Social Welfare
7. 💼 Employment & Labour
8. 💻 Digital India & Governance

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 §6 RTI Act 2005 to demand information — reply mandatory in 30 days (§7(1)). Default fee ₹10. BPL applicants pay nothing (§7(5)).

→ 🪄 Use the AI RTI Drafter — drafts your §6(1) application in 60 seconds, scheme-aware (auto-suggests the right authority + 5–7 questions to ask).

→ 🎤 AwaazRTI — speak in हिन्दी / English / 9 other Indian languages.

→ ⚖ First Appeal Builder — for Day 31 if PIO doesn't reply.

Most central schemes have a state-level top-up — for example, PMAY has Rajasthan's Chiranjeevi (₹25 lakh extra), and Ayushman Bharat works with Maharashtra's MJPJAY (₹10 lakh extra). Always check both.

• Aadhaar card — mobile-linked. Most-needed document for every scheme.
• PAN card — for financial schemes (Mudra, APY, ITR-based eligibility)
• Bank passbook — Aadhaar-seeded (DBT credit)
• Income certificate — from Tehsildar/SDM (only valid issuer)
• Caste certificate (SC/ST/OBC) — if claiming reservation
• Disability certificate (40%+) — for PwD reservation
• Ration card — common ID + BPL proof
• Domicile certificate — for state schemes

1. Is the scheme still active? Some schemes close or merge. Check official portal date stamp.
2. Are you in the eligibility band? Income / age / category. Don't waste application energy if not.
3. Is Aadhaar mobile-linked? All scheme portals send OTP. Without mobile-linked Aadhaar, OTP fails.
4. Is bank Aadhaar-seeded? DBT silent failure if not. Branch visit if unsure.
5. Apply early in the FY — most schemes have annual targets that fill by Q3.
6. Don't pay any agent. All applications are 100% free on official portals.
7. Save your application reference number — needed for status check + RTI.

• Trusting agents who claim to “fix” sanction — every government scheme is free; agents = scammers.
• Submitting wrong income certificate — must be from Tehsildar/SDM, not Patwari.
• Aadhaar mobile not updated — biggest blocker. Update at UIDAI Seva Kendra (free, 7 days).
• Photo too old — must be within 6 months.
• Applying to wrong scheme — central vs state confusion. Read eligibility carefully.
• No follow-up after submission — without RTI escalation, applications can sit for years.
• Sharing OTP / Aadhaar with strangers — fraud risk; report to cyber crime helpline 1930.
• Skipping the SLA — every scheme has a published reply window. Track it.

Yes — every official government scheme has zero application fee. Some forms have a printing fee at Common Service Centres (₹20–50) but the application itself is free. Anyone asking for thousands of rupees as “scheme processing fee” 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 — 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) — government's one-stop eligibility checker. Or browse our category pages above by your situation.

File RTI under §6 + §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 §19(1) within 30 days.

No. RTI is designed for citizens to use directly. Use our free AI RTI Drafter — drafts your application in 60 seconds.

Varies by scheme — typically 30–90 days for sanction. Specific SLAs:

• Ayushman Bharat card: 15 minutes (KYC at CSC)
• PMAY-G: 60–90 days for sanction
• PM-KISAN: 30 days for first instalment
• Mudra loan: 7–15 days at bank
• e-Shram: instant (online registration)

Refuse and report. File complaint with: (a) District Magistrate, (b) State Vigilance, © Lokpal / Lokayukta, (d) CVC (cvc.gov.in) for central officials. Whistleblower protection under PIDPI Act 2014.

Generally no — 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) — searchable, filterable. National Scheme Index at india.gov.in.

• 🎯 Financial Schemes Finder — filter 80+ schemes by your profile, download PDF
• 🪄 AI RTI Drafter — type problem, get §6 application
• 🎤 AwaazRTI — voice-to-RTI in 11 languages
• ⚖ First Appeal Generator — §19(1) on Day 31
• 📬 PIO Reply Checker — analyse evasive replies
• 🌐 Citizen 360 — full civic intelligence by PIN
• 🏠 PMAY Status Checker

• MyScheme — Government of India
• India.gov.in — National Portal
• RTI Act, 2005
• Helplines: 1930 (cyber fraud) · 14555 (Ayushman) · 1800-11-6446 (PMAY-G)

Last reviewed: 3 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team. All scheme details verified against primary government portals.

India has over 100 central sector and centrally sponsored schemes. Here is how to check your eligibility for the most popular ones:

1. PMAY-G (Housing): Visit pmayg.niac.in or contact your Gram Panchayat. Eligibility: families without pucca house, annual income up to Rs 3 lakh (EWS) or Rs 6 lakh (LIG).
2. PM-KISAN (Farmer support): Visit pmkisan.gov.in. Eligibility: land-owning farmer families with cultivable land. Rs 6,000/year in 3 instalments. Exclusions: income tax payers, institutional land holders, government employees above Group D.
3. Ayushman Bharat (Health): Visit beneficiary.nha.gov.in or call 14555. Eligibility: based on SECC 2011 data. Coverage up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year.
4. MGNREGA (Employment): Visit nrega.nic.in. Eligibility: any adult rural household willing to do unskilled manual work. 100 days of guaranteed wage employment per year.
5. PMJJBY (Life insurance): Visit your bank. Eligibility: savings bank account holder aged 18-50 years. Premium: Rs 436/year. Coverage: Rs 2 lakh.
6. PMSBY (Accident insurance): Visit your bank. Eligibility: savings bank account holder aged 18-70 years. Premium: Rs 20/year. Coverage: Rs 2 lakh for accidental death/disability.
7. APY (Pension): Visit your bank or post office. Eligibility: aged 18-40 years. Contribution varies by age. Pension: Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000/month from age 60.
8. Subhadra (Odisha women): Visit subhadra.odisha.gov.in. Eligibility: women aged 21-60 years in Odisha. Rs 10,000/year in 2 instalments.
9. Ladli Behna (MP women): Visit cmladlibahna.mp.gov.in. Eligibility: women aged 21-60 years in MP. Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500/month.

1. Step 1: Identify the PIO. For central schemes, the PIO is usually the Block Development Officer (BDO), District Magistrate, or scheme-specific officer. For state schemes, check the state's RTI rules.
2. Step 2: Draft the RTI application. Ask specific questions: “What is the status of my application dated [date]? Why has my name not been included in the beneficiary list? What documents are pending?”
3. Step 3: Submit with fee. Central RTI fee: Rs 10 (via IPO, court fee stamp, or online payment). BPL applicants are exempt.
4. Step 4: Wait 30 days. If no reply, file a first appeal within 30 days of the deadline.
5. Step 5: Escalate to CIC/SIC. If the first appeal fails, file a second appeal with the CIC (for central schemes) or SIC (for state schemes) within 90 days of the first appellate order.

For RTI drafting, use AI RTI Drafter. For first appeals, use First Appeal Builder.

1. Aadhaar not linked: Link your Aadhaar with your bank account, mobile number, and scheme application. Visit a CSC or bank branch for assistance.
2. Name mismatch in records: Ensure your name is identical in Aadhaar, bank account, ration card, and scheme application. Even minor spelling differences can cause rejection.
3. Family data not updated in SECC: If your family was not surveyed in SECC 2011, visit the local revenue office or CSC to update your family details.
4. Bank account inactive: Reactivate dormant accounts by making a small transaction. Some schemes require the account to be DBT-enabled.
5. Land records not updated: For PM-KISAN and PMAY-G, ensure your land records (7/12, Khatian, Patta) are updated with the revenue department.

1. Central government schemes: Rs 10 via IPO, court fee, or online at rtionline.gov.in
2. Maharashtra: Rs 10 via court fee or IPO. Online at aapleabhar.maharashtra.gov.in
3. Karnataka: Rs 10 via IPO or court fee. Online at rti.karnataka.gov.in
4. Tamil Nadu: Rs 50 via court fee stamp. No online portal.
5. Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10 via court fee or IPO. Online at rti.up.gov.in
6. Rajasthan: Rs 10 via IPO or court fee. Online at rti.rajasthan.gov.in
7. Bihar: Rs 10 via court fee. No online portal.
8. Madhya Pradesh: Rs 10 via court fee or IPO. Online at rti.mp.gov.in
9. West Bengal: Rs 10 via court fee or IPO. No online portal.
10. Gujarat: Rs 20 via court fee or IPO. Online at rti.gujarat.gov.in

1. PMAY-G: pmayg.nic.in — enter your registration number
2. PM-KISAN: pmkisan.gov.in — enter Aadhaar or mobile number
3. Ayushman Bharat: beneficiary.nha.gov.in — enter mobile or Aadhaar
4. MGNREGA: nrega.nic.in — enter job card number
5. Subhadra: subhadra.odisha.gov.in — enter mobile or Aadhaar
6. Ladli Behna: cmladlibahna.mp.gov.in — enter mobile or Aadhaar
7. eSHRAM: eshram.gov.in — enter UAN or Aadhaar