With regard to the HRIDAY scheme, consider the following statements:

1. It is a health scheme aimed at taking special care of heart patients in the rural areas.

 2. It is an investment scheme aimed at developing traditional medical research.

3. It is a development scheme with the aim of linking urban planning and heritage conservation in an inclusive manner.

 Which of the statements given above is correct?

Statements 1 and 2 are INCORRECT: Despite the acronym sounding like "heart" (which is Hridaya in Hindi), the scheme has absolutely nothing to do with medical health, rural cardiac patients, or traditional medical research. It is a common trap designed to misguide aspirants based on the name.

Statement 3 is CORRECT: The HRIDAY scheme stands for National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana. Launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in January 2015, its main objective is to preserve and revitalize the soul and unique character of heritage cities in India. It focuses on linking urban planning, economic growth, and heritage conservation while improving infrastructure (like civic services, sanitation, and pathways) around heritage sites in an inclusive manner.

Key Facts About HRIDAY:

Type of Scheme: Central Sector Scheme (100% funded by the Central Government).

Target Cities: It initially focused on the development of 12 identified heritage cities: Ajmer, Amritsar, Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Mathura, Puri, Varanasi, Velankanni, and Warangal.