Question map
'SWAYAM', an initiative of the Government of India, aims at
Explanation
SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is an Indian government initiative to offer flexible, accessible, and cost-effective education to students from[1] class nine to postgraduate level. The initiative mainly aims to provide free and flexible online courses for students as well as teachers across India.[1] SWAYAM has 3 cardinal principles and a 4-quadrant approach, focusing on accessibility and affordability of education with quality content delivered by expert faculty members.[2] The major focus of the SWAYAM initiative is to cater the needs and aspiration of learners across the country, especially, the learners from the rural and remote areas.[3] SWAYAM operates on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) through which learners can explore various subjects that are free of cost.[4]
Options A, B, and C are incorrect as they refer to different government schemes. SWAYAM is specifically an online education platform, not related to Self Help Groups, start-up financing, or adolescent girl welfare programs.
Sources- [3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329939008_SWAYAM_The_Platform_for_Modern_and_Enhanced_Online_and_Flexible_Education-_A_Knowledge_Survey
- [4] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science, Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 7: Factors of Production > Technology paving the way for accessing knowledge, skills, and job opportunities > p. 177
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question is a classic 'Acronym Trap'. In 2016, SWAYAM was a flagship Digital India scheme. The examiner exploited the Hindi meaning ('Swayam' = Self) to bait you into Option A (Self Help Groups) or Option B (Start-ups/Self-employment). Strategy: Never guess a scheme's purpose solely by translating its Hindi name; know the Ministry and the full form.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Does the SWAYAM initiative of the Government of India aim to promote Self Help Groups in rural areas?
- Statement 2: Does the SWAYAM initiative of the Government of India aim to provide financial and technical assistance to young start-up entrepreneurs?
- Statement 3: Does the SWAYAM initiative of the Government of India aim to promote the education and health of adolescent girls?
- Statement 4: Does the SWAYAM initiative of the Government of India aim to provide affordable and quality education to citizens for free?
- Explicitly describes SWAYAM's focus as catering to learners across the country, particularly rural and remote learners â indicating an education remit.
- No mention in the passage of promoting Self Help Groups; the emphasis is on learner access and education delivery.
- States SWAYAM contributes towards online education and focuses on accessibility, affordability, and quality content delivered by expert faculty.
- This passage frames SWAYAM as an online education initiative, not a rural development program for Self Help Groups.
States that SHGs are building blocks of organisation of the rural poor and help women become financially self-reliant, linking SHGs to rural development goals.
A student could check whether SWAYAM (a government education/learning platform) offers courses or training aimed at skills, financial literacy or group formation that would support SHGs.
Lists 'Promoting Self-Help Groups' explicitly as a government tool for inclusive growth, showing SHGs are a recognized target of public policy.
One could examine whether SWAYAMâs stated objectives or course catalogues include programmes intended to further inclusive growth or directly support SHG promotion.
IRDP aims include providing self-employment, subsidies, and promoting cottage industries in villagesâactivities that overlap with typical SHG objectives (self-employment and rural income generation).
A student could inspect whether SWAYAM provides vocational/entrepreneurship courses targeted at rural cottage industries that would complement such IRDP-style objectives.
The Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) replaced IRDP to be a holistic programme covering self-employment in rural areas, often implemented through local bodiesâshowing a pattern of government rural schemes targeting collective/local organisation.
Using this pattern, a student might check whether SWAYAM is used as a delivery channel by such rural schemes (e.g., training modules for groups implemented via Panchayati Raj institutions).
Mentions government initiatives (Stand Up India, Start Up India, Atal Innovation Mission) aimed at promoting entrepreneurship including rural variantsâillustrating that the government uses named programmes to foster grassroots entrepreneurship.
A student could ask whether SWAYAM is similarly positioned among government initiatives as a platform for entrepreneurship education that could support SHGs in rural areas.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
Login with Google to unlock all statements.
This tab shows concrete study steps: what to underline in books, how to map current affairs, and how to prepare for similar questions.
Login with Google to unlock study guidance.
Discover the small, exam-centric ideas hidden in this question and where they appear in your books and notes.
Login with Google to unlock micro-concepts.
Access hidden traps, elimination shortcuts, and Mains connections that give you an edge on every question.
Login with Google to unlock The Vault.