Which of the following is not a component of ‘Bharat Nirman’ scheme launched in 2005-06?

The correct answer is B) Rural sanitation. Bharat Nirman, launched in 2005-06 with a planned horizon up to 2009, had six components: irrigation, rural housing, rural water supply (drinking water), rural electrification, rural roads and rural telephone connectivity. Sanitation was never one of these six. It was handled through the separate Total Sanitation Campaign, which was later restructured as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan in 2012.

• A) Rural housing: This is a Bharat Nirman component, delivered mainly through Indira Awaas Yojana.
• C) Drinking water: Rural water supply was a core Bharat Nirman component, aiming to cover habitations with safe drinking water.
• D) Rural roads: Connecting unconnected habitations through PMGSY was a Bharat Nirman component.

The core concept here is the scheme-wise architecture of rural infrastructure programmes. For Mains, Bharat Nirman is useful for discussing rural infrastructure gaps, the shift from scheme-based to outcome-based delivery, and how Bharat Nirman's six components were later absorbed into other flagship programmes.

Trap: Candidates pick sanitation because it sounds like a rural infrastructure item. Memorise the six Bharat Nirman components as a fixed list, and treat sanitation as belonging to its own campaign.