BJP renamed 19 UPA welfare schemes, says report

As many as 19 welfare programmes being run by the BJP government are renamed versions of older schemes of UPA government, according to a report published by FactChecker.in, an initiative of The Spending & Policy Research Foundation— a data journalism and policy research organisation, which scrutinises veracity of statements made by individuals in public life.

“On June 15, 2017, Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor claimed that 23 of the BJP-led government’s new programmes were merely renamed versions of schemes launched by the previous governments led by his party,” the report said, confirming that “We found that 19 of the 23 programmes were indeed renamed versions of older schemes, as Tharoor claimed.”

The 19 UPA schemes which have been renamed by the BJP-led government as verified in the report are as under:

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana=Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account

• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana=National Girl Child Day programmes

• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan=Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan

• Sardar Patel National Urban Housing Mission=Rajiv Awaas Yojana

• Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin)=Indira Awaas Yojana

• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana=Rajiv Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana

• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation=Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission

• BJP’s neem-coated urea=Congress’s neem-coated urea

• Soil Health Card scheme=National Project on Management of Soil Health and Fertility

• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana=Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and other programmes

• Atal Pension Yojana=Swavalamban Yojana

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana=Jan Aushadhi scheme

• Make In India=National Manufacturing Policy

• Digital India=National eGovernance Plan

• Skill India=National Skill Development Programme

• Mission Indradhanush=Universal Immunisation Programme

• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana=National Rural Livelihood Mission

• PAHAL=Direct Benefits Transfer for LPG

• BharatNet=National Optic Fibre Network

Additionally, the report said that the status of the following schemes of the BJP government was unclear as to whether they, too, were revived versions of original programmes initiated by UPA regime:

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana=Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme

• Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana=Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana