Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati AbhyudayYojana (PM-AJAY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme being implemented since 2021-22. The Scheme has three components namely (i) ‘Adarsh Gram’, (ii) ‘Grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects for Socio-Economic betterment of Scheduled Caste(SC) Communities’ and (iii) ‘Hostel’. The objectives of the Scheme are:

• To improve socio-economic developmental indicators by ensuring adequate infrastructure and requisite services in the SC dominated villages.
•  To reduce poverty of the SC communities by generation of additional employment opportunities through skill development, income generating schemes and other initiatives.
• To increase literacy and encourage enrolment of SCs in schools and higher educational institutions by providing adequate residential facilities in quality institutions, as well as residential schools where required, especially in the aspirational districts/ SC dominated blocks and elsewhere in India.

Skill development is one of the interventions covered under Grants-in-aid Component of the Scheme. 25 States have submitted Perspective Plans for 2023-24, 2024-25 & 2025-26 and Rs. 457.82 Crore has been released for 8146 projects including 987 projects for skill development during 2023-24 & 2024-25 under Grants-in aid Component.

In 2021-22, the erstwhile scheme of Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana has been subsumed under the umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY). The villages having more than 40% SC population and a total population of 500 or more are eligible for selection under the Scheme. The selected villages are saturated with identified 50 Socio-Economic developmental indicators, under 10 domains namely Drinking Water and Sanitation, Education, Health and Nutrition, Social Security, Rural Roads and Housing, Electricity and Clean Fuel, Agricultural Practices, Financial Inclusion, Digitization, Livelihood and Skill Development, which are the minimum requirements for any person residing in a village. Since 2018-19, 29,847 villages have been selected out of which 11,076 villages have been declared as Adarsh Gram. During 2024-25, 4,991 villages have been declared as Adarsh Gram.

The Hostel Component aims to increase literacy and encourage enrolment of SCs in schools and higher educational institutions by providing adequate residential facilities in quality institutions, as well as residential schools where required. Till now, 891 hostels have been sanctioned under PM-AJAY of which 27 hostels have been sanctioned during 2024-25.

Under PM-AJAY, upto 5% of the total funds is allocated for Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Scheme. During 2024-25, Rs. 6.64 Crore has been utilized as Administrative expense under PM-AJAY.

This information was provided by UNION MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICEAND EMPOWERMENT, SHRI RAMDAS ATHAWALE, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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VM

(Lok Sabha US Q4878)

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