Ease of Living: Key Government Initiatives and Outcomes

Ease of Living: Key Government Initiatives and Outcomes

#GS-2 #GS-3 #Governance & Social Justice #Good Governance #Infrastructure #Government Policies & Interventions #National

Why in News

  • The Government highlighted **India's twelve-year journey of inclusive progress between 2014 and 2026**, focusing on citizen-friendly governance.
  • Better housing, clean fuel, drinking water, electricity, sanitation, transport, and digital services drove this major transformation.

Housing and Basic Amenities

  • The **Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U)** started in **2015** to build permanent houses for eligible urban families.
  • Under **PMAY-U 2.0**, launched in **2024**, families get up to **Rs. 2.5 lakh** assistance, with compulsory ownership or co-ownership for women.
  • Authorities sanctioned over **1.25 crore** houses under **PMAY-U**, completing more than **98 lakh** units so far.
  • The **Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G)** started in **2016**, offering **Rs. 1.20 lakh** in plains and **Rs. 1.30 lakh** in hilly regions.
  • Out of **3.98 crore** targeted rural houses between **2016 and 2026**, officials sanctioned **3.91 crore** and completed **3.05 crore** units.
  • Women own or joint-own nearly **75%** of all sanctioned rural houses under this flagship housing programme.
  • Rural housing projects combine directly with water, electricity, and toilet schemes through inter-departmental convergence.
  • Launched in **2015**, **AMRUT** upgraded basic urban facilities like water supply, sewerage, and green spaces in **500** cities.
  • Launched in **2021**, **AMRUT 2.0** expanded urban rejuvenation to all **4,800** towns with an outlay of **Rs. 2.99 lakh crore**.
  • Sanctioned projects under **AMRUT** and **AMRUT 2.0** reached **Rs. 2.79 lakh crore**, compared to **Rs. 62,983 crore** under the pre-2015 urban mission.

Universal Access to Essentials

  • Launched in **May 2016**, **PMUY** provided clean LPG cooking gas connections to millions of rural households.
  • The scheme achieved its initial **8 crore** connection target by **September 2019** before expanding through **Ujjwala 2.0**.
  • Over **10.57 crore** gas connections were issued under **PMUY**, raising national LPG coverage from **55.9%** in **2014** to **107.2%** in **2026**.
  • The **Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)** started in **2019** with the goal of **Har Ghar Jal**, expanding rural tap connections from **3.23 crore** to **15.86 crore** by **June 2026**.
  • The mission freed **9 crore** women from carrying drinking water and saw **1.81 lakh** villages certified as **Har Ghar Jal**.
  • Water quality testing strengthened through **2,843** laboratories and field testing training for **24.80 lakh** women.
  • In **March 2026**, the government extended the mission till **December 2028** under **JJM 2.0** with **Rs. 8.69 lakh crore** total budget.
  • The **Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G)** raised rural sanitation coverage from **39%** in **2014** to **100%** in **2019**.
  • By **June 2026**, rural areas built **12.14 crore** household toilets and **2.76 lakh** community sanitary blocks.
  • Over **5.69 lakh** villages achieved **ODF Plus** status, while most villages set up solid and liquid waste management systems.
  • Between **2014 and 2026**, **SBM-Urban** built **63 lakh** household toilets and **6 lakh** community toilets across towns.
  • Urban waste processing surged from **16%** in **2014** to **82%** in **2026**, while door-to-door garbage collection reached **98%**.
  • The **World Health Organization** estimated that clean sanitation saved **3 lakh** lives from diarrhoeal deaths in **2019** compared to **2014**.

Power for All: Clean and Reliable Energy

  • India double its total power generation capacity from **248 GW** in **2014** to over **532 GW** by **March 2026**.
  • Renewable energy capacity expanded from **76.38 GW** in **2014** to **274.69 GW** in **March 2026**, placing India **3rd** globally.
  • Solar power capacity grew from **2.82 GW** to **150.26 GW**, while wind energy rose from **21.04 GW** to **56.09 GW**.
  • Average daily rural power supply improved from **12.5 hours** in **2014** to **22.6 hours** in **2026**, with urban supply reaching **23.4 hours**.
  • The national power transmission grid expanded to over **5 lakh circuit kilometres**, operating as the world's largest single-frequency grid.
  • Launched in **2017**, the **SAUBHAGYA** scheme provided electricity connections to **2.86 crore** un-electrified households before closing in **March 2022**.
  • Launched in **February 2024**, **PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana** offers up to **Rs. 78,000** subsidy and **300** free electricity units monthly.
  • Over **40 lakh** households installed rooftop solar panels by **May 2026**, targeting **1 crore** homes by **2027**.
  • Under the **UJALA** scheme, distribution of **37 crore** LED bulbs saved households **Rs. 19,153 crore** annually in power bills.

Financial Inclusion and Empowerment

  • Launched in **August 2014**, **PMJDY** opened bank accounts for unbanked citizens as part of the **Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile** initiative.
  • Jan Dhan accounts grew from **14.72 crore** in **2015** to over **58 crore** in **2026**, holding total deposits exceeding **Rs. 3 lakh crore**.
  • In **FY 2024-25**, the government transferred **Rs. 6.9 lakh crore** directly into bank accounts across **327** direct benefit schemes.
  • Banks issued **40.60 crore RuPay** debit cards with built-in accident insurance cover to secure poor families financially.
  • Launched in **2015**, **Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana** provided collateral-free loans to micro-enterprises.
  • The scheme sanctioned **57.7 crore** loans worth **Rs. 40 lakh crore**, with **66%** of total funds going to women entrepreneurs.
  • Nearly half of all **MUDRA** loan beneficiaries belong to **SC, ST, and OBC** communities across the country.
  • The **Tarun Plus** category introduced in **FY 2024-25** raised the maximum loan limit to **Rs. 20 lakh** for repeat borrowers.

Transport and Connectivity Reforms

  • India created the world's **2nd largest** road network at **63.73 lakh km**, expanding national highways from **91,287 km** to **1,46,572 km**.
  • Major connectivity projects like **Atal Tunnel**, **Dhola-Sadiya Bridge**, **Sudarshan Setu**, and **Dwarka Expressway** boosted regional mobility and logistics.
  • Under **Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana**, all-weather road length reached **4.11 lakh km**, connecting **99.6%** of target rural habitations.
  • Railway electrification reached **99.6%** by **March 2026**, while safety technology like **Kavach** reduced annual accidents from **135** down to **16**.
  • Indian Railways introduced **162 Vande Bharat** services and launched **Amrit Bharat** trains for affordable long-distance travel.
  • Under the **UDAN** scheme, active operational airports grew from **74** in **2014** to **165** by **2026**, serving **1.64 crore** passengers.
  • Operational metro networks expanded from **248 km** across **5** cities to **1,155 km** across **26** cities, making India's network the **3rd largest** globally.

Governance Reforms

  • The **Jan Vishwas Act, 2023** replaced criminal penalties with civil fines for minor business compliance defaults.
  • The **Jan Vishwas Act, 2026** expanded decriminalisation to **717** provisions across **79** central laws to end harassment.
  • The **CPGRAMS** portal resolved **6 lakh** public grievances between **2025 and 2026**, achieving a **69.8%** citizen satisfaction rate.
  • The **MyGov** engagement platform expanded to **60 million** registered users across **28** states for direct participatory governance.
  • Launched in **2021**, the **PM GatiShakti** platform onboarded **58** ministries using **3,204** GIS layers for coordinated infrastructure planning.

Conclusion

  • Citizen-centric and technology-driven governance models delivered rapid social development across urban and rural India.
  • Providing basic services, robust infrastructure, and digital inclusion has set a firm base for achieving **Viksit Bharat 2047**.