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The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) was first implemented in which state?
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Answer: Option D — Rajasthan
Detailed Solution
The Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) was launched by the Government of India in December 2000, under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was first implemented in Rajasthan. It was announced on 25 December 2000 and was meant to make the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) reach the "poorest of the poor".
The word "Antyodaya" means "rise of the last person", an idea associated with the thinker Deendayal Upadhyaya and with Gandhi's idea of serving the poorest. Rajasthan had earlier run its own Antyodaya programme in the 1970s.
Key features of the AAY:
It identifies the poorest families among those below the poverty line (BPL). Initially, one crore families were covered; this was gradually raised to about 2.5 crore families.
Eligible families include landless agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, rural artisans, slum dwellers, households headed by widows or terminally ill persons, disabled persons, persons aged 60 or above with no assured means of support, and all households of primitive tribal groups.
Each AAY family receives 35 kilograms of food grains per month at highly subsidised prices: originally ₹2 per kilogram for wheat and ₹3 per kilogram for rice.
AAY families are given special "Antyodaya" ration cards.
The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 continued the AAY. Under it, AAY households remain entitled to 35 kg of food grains per family per month, while other "priority households" get 5 kg per person per month. Since 1 January 2023, food grains under the NFSA (including AAY) are provided free of cost under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which has been extended for five years from 2024.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar implemented the scheme later, but it began in Rajasthan.
Quick tip
Remember: Antyodaya Anna Yojana = December 2000, first in Rajasthan, 35 kg grain per family per month for the poorest; continued under the NFSA 2013; free grain under PMGKAY since 2023.
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This question tests your understanding of Government Schemes, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the major welfare and development schemes of the Government of India, such as those for financial inclusion, health, housing, agriculture, skill development and women and child welfare, along with their launch year, objectives and ministries. Questions usually ask what a scheme aims to do, when it was launched, or which ministry runs it. For example, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (2014) aims at financial inclusion through bank accounts. Schemes are often renamed, merged or extended, so pair these static facts with the latest updates before banking and government exams. Practise the government schemes questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.