Kerala’s migrant worker welfare policies emerged from major changes in the state’s labour market. Large numbers of Keralites migrated abroad, particularly to Gulf countries, while education and changing employment preferences reduced the availability of local workers for labour-intensive jobs.
India has introduced a wide range of schemes to support the education, safety, health and economic development of girls across different states and union territories. Despite significant progress in female education and social development, girls in India continue to face structural barriers linked to poverty, early marriage, school dropout, inadequate healthcare and limited economic opportunities. These challenges are not uniform across the country and often vary by state, region, caste, income and rural or urban location. Government schemes for girls have therefore evolved as targeted policy responses to address different dimensions of disadvantage, from educational access and financial support to health, protection and skill development. A state wise comparison is therefore important to assess whether differences in programme design, coverage and delivery are reflected in measurable outcomes such as school retention, delayed marriage, financial autonomy and gender related indicators.
School education in India has long relied on public investment alone to meet the twin challenges of infrastructure gaps and learning-resource shortages, particularly in government schools. Recognising that community and private-sector participation could supplement rather than replace government effort, the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, introduced Vidyanjali, a school volunteer programme designed to connect government and government-aided schools with volunteers, resources, and institutional support.
The National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) was introduced in 1995 as one of the original components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). NSAP came into effect on 15 August 1995 in pursuance of Article 41 of the Constitution, which directs the State to provide public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, disablement and other situations of undeserved want, within the limits of its economic capacity and development.
Tamil Nadu's old-age pension is older than the national scheme it now sits inside. The state's Old Age Pension (Normal) Scheme has run since 1 April 1962. Paying destitute persons aged 65 and above (60 if incapacitated) who had no means of subsistence or supporting relatives and moreover owned no property above ₹5,000 and were not professional beggars.
The second wave of COVID‑19 during the summer of 2021 altered the discussion surrounding India’s challenges. Previous waves had failed to draw attention to a group of victims that is seldom mentioned initially: abandoned children. In Uttar Pradesh, the densely populated state, a similar occurrence took place. Reports began to emerge regarding children who had lost one or both parents to the infection, many too young to grasp the situation and numerous without any family member ready or capable of taking them in.
Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD) originates from the Union Budget 2023-24, whose Paragraph 93 announced that tourism would be taken up 'in Mission Mode' and that 'at least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode' for holistic development, covering physical and virtual connectivity, tourist guides, food-street standards and tourist security, integrated through a mobile application, with every destination developed 'as a complete package.'