The Central Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) successfully concluded its high-level national meeting today at Manthan Hall, GPOA-3, New Delhi. The session was chaired by the Hon’ble Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar.

The meeting was attended by members of Central Advisory Committee (CAC) including State Ministers for Social Justice and Empowerment from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Haryana, along with Members of Parliament, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), NITI Aayog, and Officers of various Ministry/Department. Addressing the committee, the Hon’ble Union Minister emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to the social and economic empowerment of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities.

Hon’ble Minister emphasized the need for coordination between states and central government for achieving the desired outcomes of the program. He requested states to implement the scheme and utilize funds in time bound manner. He informed the CAC that scope of PM-AJAY will be expanded to reach out to more socially and economically aspiring SC communities.

The committee reviewed the cumulative performance of the scheme from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 and acknowledged the progress made under the scheme. The committee took note that 15,387 villages being successfully declared as "Adarsh Gram". More than ₹1,730 Crore has been released directly to states under the Grant-in-Aid Component, providing skilling and empowerment benefits to more than 2.5 lakh individual and group beneficiaries with asset creation and livelihood opportunities. 785 student hostels have been completed to secure safe residential facilities and promote higher education enrollment.  The committee noted the rollout of the AJAY Mobile App which enables digital based field surveys in 24 Indian languages and mandates geo-tagged, time-stamped photo verification for all community assets.

State/UT Specific Inputs:

Hon’ble ministers from the States highlighted and appreciated the progress made under PM-AJAY and suggested higher fund allocation under PM-AJAY. They also provided suggestion for improving ways for implementation and convergence under the scheme. Representatives from States emphasized the need for strengthening on-ground convergence and enhanced financial support, to improve scheme outcomes. The CAC reached a broad consensus on adopting a forward-looking paradigm shift for the scheme's next phase:

Increasing the scope of PM-AJAY: The future roadmap for PM-AJAY envisions scaling for all the three components under PM-AJAY and reach to the most aspiring SC communities across the country.

Comprehensive Approach to Livelihood and Skill Development: To ensure economic upliftment of SC communities, the committee suggested a comprehensive and targeted approach for providing more livelihood and skilling opportunities for SC communities.

Hostels for Social Cohesion: The committee recommended allocation of more funds for construction of Hostels to ensure educational empowerment of SC students.

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SM/AJ

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