PM-AJAY: 16,022 villages declared Adarsh Gram; ₹11,186 crore released in 12 years

PM-AJAY: what happened?

Many Scheduled Caste-majority villages still lack roads, drains or schools, and many SC families lack steady income. PM-AJAY puts three older schemes under one roof to fix both the village and the household. This release gives its numbers since 2014-15.

• Adarsh Gram: ₹3,545.103 crore for 48,811 villages; 16,022 declared Adarsh Gram after meeting set indicators.
• Grant-in-Aid: ₹7,142.692 crore to States and UTs; 34.61 lakh beneficiaries through skills, livelihood and income projects.
• Hostels: ₹498.215 crore for 244 hostels covering 24,131 beneficiaries.

Which schemes were merged into PM-AJAY?

What are its aims?

• Reduce poverty among SC communities through jobs from skills and income projects.
• Improve socio-economic indicators by giving SC-dominated villages adequate infrastructure and services.
• Widen access to education through hostels.

Which constitutional provisions apply?

• Article 46: the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
• Article 341: the President, after consultation with the Governor in the case of a State, specifies the castes deemed to be Scheduled Castes; Parliament may change the list by law.

What do the numbers show?

How does a village become Adarsh Gram?

1. SC-majority village selected
2. Gaps in infrastructure and services identified
3. Funds released under the Adarsh Gram component
4. Works done to meet prescribed indicators
5. Village declared Adarsh Gram

Why does PM-AJAY matter?

What are the challenges in PM-AJAY?

• Only 16,022 of 48,811 selected villages, about a third, have been declared Adarsh Gram so far.
• Grant-in-Aid reached only 1,782 persons in FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26, against 34.61 lakh since 2014-15.
• Hostel coverage is small: 244 hostels for 24,131 students since 2014-15.

What should be done next on PM-AJAY?

• Speed up the remaining selected villages towards Adarsh Gram status.
• Find out why recent grant-in-aid coverage is low.
• Expand hostels in districts with large SC student populations.

What can Prelims ask on PM-AJAY?

• PM-AJAY = Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana.
• Merged CSS since 2021-22: PMAGY + SCA to SCSP + BJRCY.
• Three components: Adarsh Gram, Grant-in-Aid, Hostel.
• 16,022 villages declared Adarsh Gram.
• Article 46 directs the State to promote SC/ST educational and economic interests.

How to write about PM-AJAY in Mains

Practice question (10 marks, 150 words): Evaluate PM-AJAY as an integrated approach to the development of Scheduled Caste communities.

• Intro: merger in 2021-22; three components.
• Progress: villages, beneficiaries, hostels.
• Gaps: one-third villages done, low recent grant coverage.
• Article 46 link.
• Way forward.