Finance ministry to assess key welfare programmes in mid-term review: Report

Farmer support measures such as PM-Aasha and the pension-focused PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana will also be evaluated, along with Make in India 2.0 and the newly launched Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme

The Centre is reportedly set to launch a mid-term review of its flagship economic and welfare programmes in a bid to accelerate growth and boost job creation.

The finance ministry will lead the exercise starting next month, with a focus on employment-linked schemes, entrepreneurship, and skills development, states a report by the Mint newspaper.

Officials, cited in the report, have stated that the review will assess whether existing allocations are sufficient to meet growth and employment targets, with the possibility of scaling up resources. The exercise is expected to build on recent measures such as GST rate cuts and income tax relief announced in the Union Budget, aiming to stimulate consumption while strengthening long-term productivity, further states the report.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Key programmes under review include the rural job scheme MGNREGA, the PM Vishwakarma initiative for artisans, PM SVANidhi for street vendors, and the PM Mudra Yojana for micro-loans.

In addition, farmer support measures such as PM-Aasha and the pension-focused PM Kisan Maandhan Yojana will also be evaluated, along with Make in India 2.0 and the newly launched Employment-Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme, which carries an outlay of nearly Rs 1 trillion to create over 35 million jobs.

As per economists, while schemes like MGNREGA remain vital, stagnant allocations risk curbing effectiveness amid rising demand. At the same time, small businesses and MSMEs will likely receive special attention, given their role in job creation and the added strain of reciprocal US tariffs.