The year 2025 marked a decisive phase in India’s welfare and public policy journey, with the Union government unveiling a fresh set of schemes and recalibrating existing safety nets to align with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. From agriculture and employment to healthcare, housing and sanitation, welfare remained central to governance with the Union Budget 2025-26 acting as the key launchpad.
Welfare Measures In Union Budget 2025-26
Presented on February 1, 2025, the Union Budget reinforced the government’s emphasis on inclusive growth, employment creation, and social security—particularly for farmers, youth, urban poor and informal workers.
Strengthening Farm Economy
The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana was announced to stabilise farm incomes and strengthen agricultural support systems. With a focus on productivity, resilience and income security, the scheme aimed to address long-standing vulnerabilities faced by small and marginal farmers amid climate and market uncertainties.
Healthcare Coverage Scales New Heights
India’s flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), continued its rapid expansion in 2025. With coverage extending to over 42 crore beneficiaries, the scheme widened access to secondary and tertiary healthcare while integrating digital health platforms, reaffirming healthcare as a cornerstone of welfare policy.
Social Security For Most Vulnerable
The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) remained a critical pillar of the welfare architecture, sustaining financial assistance to the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities. The programme reflected continuity in social protection even as new schemes were layered onto the system.
Employment Generation Takes Centre Stage
The PM Vikasit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) was launched to incentivise first-time employment. The scheme offers financial support to employers hiring youth for the first time and provides direct monthly incentives to first-time employees through DBT, aligning labour market reforms with the goal of a developed India by 2047.
In a major symbolic and policy shift, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was renamed Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana, underscoring renewed focus on rural livelihoods. Towards the end of the year, the government introduced the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, signalling intent to replace the original MGNREGA framework with a reimagined rural employment guarantee.
Welfare For Informal & Gig Economy
With India’s workforce increasingly informal, 2025 saw a sharper focus on gig and unorganised workers. The Gig Workers Welfare framework, anchored by the e-Shram portal and the Code on Social Security, 2020, sought to provide health, accident, maternity and pension benefits.
State-level initiatives, such as Karnataka’s proposed Welfare Boards, complemented national efforts, marking a gradual formalisation of gig work.
Urban Housing Push
The PMAY-Urban 2.0 “Angikaar 2025” campaign aimed to fast-track the completion of houses for the urban poor. The campaign reinforced housing as a welfare priority while addressing urbanisation pressures.
Sanitation & Dignity Of Labour
Sanitation remained a recurring theme in public welfare discourse. Swachhata Hi Seva-2025 mobilised citizens nationwide around cleanliness and public health.
The NAMASTE scheme focused specifically on sanitation workers, emphasising mechanisation, provision of PPE, health insurance under Ayushman Bharat, and skill profiling—an effort to combine dignity, safety and social security.
States Drive Direct Cash Transfers
At the state level, cash transfer schemes for women emerged as one of the most significant welfare trends of 2025. As many as 12 states rolled out unconditional monthly income support for women. While Odisha offered Rs 800 per month, Delhi’s assistance was nearly three times higher, highlighting stark variations in fiscal capacity and welfare design. Kerala, notably, opted out of direct cash transfers, reflecting divergent policy choices among states.
