🗺️ State Wise Government Schemes

India runs one of the most layered welfare architectures in the world. On top of the central schemes that apply pan-India — PM-Kisan, Ayushman Bharat, PMAY, PM Vishwakarma — each of the 28 states and 8 union territories runs a separate set of state-notified schemes. In many households, the schemes that actually deliver the most money in a year are the state schemes rather than the central ones — for example, Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin Yojana transfers ₹1,500 per month per eligible woman (₹18,000 a year), which is more than PM-Kisan's ₹6,000 annual central benefit for the same household.

Why state schemes exist alongside central schemes

India's constitution divides subjects into the Union List, State List and Concurrent List. Welfare, agriculture, public health, education (up to Class 12), and land are largely State List subjects — meaning each state legislature can design schemes that reflect its local priorities and revenue capacity. That is why a Kerala scheme on paddy procurement looks nothing like a Punjab scheme on the same topic; the same is true for pensions, women-empowerment transfers, and student scholarships. Understanding which subjects live on the State List helps you know whether to look at your state portal, the central portal, or both.

How to navigate schemes for your state

For any Indian resident, the practical order of operations is: (1) identify your state on this page and open its scheme list; (2) filter by category — agriculture, health, women, education, housing, employment; (3) check the eligibility criteria carefully, because most state schemes require a state domicile certificate (issued by the state tehsildar/SDM) that a central scheme like PM-Kisan does not require; (4) verify the current application window on the state's official portal before paying any fee. Every state page on our site lists both the state-run and centrally-sponsored schemes available to residents of that state.

What "state" and "central" mean for you as an applicant

The single most common misunderstanding readers write in about is dual-eligibility. Almost every central scheme (PM-Kisan, Ayushman Bharat, PMAY, e-Shram, PM Vishwakarma) is additionally available to residents of every state — you do not have to choose between central and state. A Maharashtra farmer can hold both PM-Kisan and the state's own Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi. A Bihar woman can hold both the central Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana for her daughter and the state's Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana. The rules for double-benefit are per-scheme, not blanket — read the state scheme's rulebook to confirm.

Where the highest-impact state schemes currently sit

Across the country, the state schemes that deliver the largest cash benefit today are the women-empowerment transfers — Maharashtra's Ladki Bahin (₹1,500/month), Madhya Pradesh's Ladli Bahna (₹1,250/month), Karnataka's Gruha Lakshmi (₹2,000/month), West Bengal's Lakshmir Bhandar, Tamil Nadu's Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (₹1,000/month), Telangana's earlier Aasara pension successor, and Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party's women-transfer commitments. Between them these transfers cover close to 8 crore women beneficiaries.

Other high-impact state schemes worth checking on your state page include health cover top-ups (Rajasthan's Chiranjeevi, Tamil Nadu's CMCHIS, West Bengal's Swasthya Sathi), free/subsidised electricity (Punjab's 300-unit free scheme, Delhi's 200-unit slab, Karnataka's Gruha Jyothi), and free-bus-travel schemes for women (Karnataka's Shakti, Delhi's DTC-Cluster free ride).

The domicile question

Most state schemes require a state domicile certificate. Rules for domicile vary — some states require 10 years of continuous residence, some 15 years, some accept employment-based residence. If you moved states in the last decade for work, the domicile check often takes longer than the online application; obtain the domicile certificate first, then apply. State pages on this site call out the domicile requirement for each scheme.

Select your state below to see the full list of schemes with current eligibility, documents, and apply links. Always verify with the state's own portal before paying any fee — no state welfare scheme in India charges an application fee for the online form, and any agent asking for money to "process" your application is a warning sign.