PM-AJAY: 18,093 Villages Declared Adarsh Gram by September 2026

A Press Information Bureau backgrounder of 28 September 2026 set out where the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) has reached. The scheme is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the Scheduled Castes, who account for 16.6% of the country's population. It began in FY 2021-22 and is paid for entirely by the Centre, a 100% centrally sponsored scheme in which states and union territories may add resources of their own if they wish.

Three older schemes rolled into one

PM-AJAY was built by merging three schemes that ran separately until then: the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP) and the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY). Its work is divided into three components — raising SC-majority villages into Adarsh Grams, grants-in-aid for district and state level projects, and the construction and repair of hostels for SC students.

Where the scheme stands

An Adarsh Gram, as the scheme defines it, is a village where the minimum needs of every section are met, basic services reach everybody and differences between groups are cut to the smallest possible.

Who qualifies, and how the money is split

Under the grants-in-aid component, households with a yearly income of not more than Rs 2.50 lakh are taken first. For an infrastructure grant a village needs an SC share of 40% or above and a total population of 500 or more. Of the outlay, up to half goes to filling gaps in selected Adarsh Gram villages, up to 5% to technical support groups and project implementation units at the centre, state and district levels, and up to 2% to hostels for central institutions. Whatever is left is shared out for state and district projects on the basis of SC population.

Hostels, money and a mobile app

Grants-in-aid of more than Rs 1,730 crore went straight to the states between FY 2021-22 and FY 2025-26, carrying skilling and livelihood help to over 2.5 lakh individual and group beneficiaries. On the hostel side 785 student hostels stood finished by September 2026, and central assistance of Rs 61.46 crore has been set aside in FY 2026-27 for two hostels, one for girls and one for boys, with room for 264 students. The PM-AJAY mobile app and portal have been launched to shift the scheme off paper files and on to real-time digital processing.