New Delhi, A total of 18,093 villages have been declared 'Adarsh Grams' under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana or PM-AJAY, while 785 student hostels have been completed under the scheme, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said.
Under the Adarsh Gram component, more than 47,200 villages benefiting over 47.79 lakh citizens across the country have been covered, it said.
A total of 46,944 development works have been completed, and 27,032 village development plans have been prepared under the scheme, the ministry said in a statement earlier this week.
The scheme seeks to develop Scheduled Caste-dominated villages into model villages by addressing critical gaps in infrastructure and essential services.
An Adarsh Gram is envisioned as a village where people have access to basic services, the minimum needs of all sections are met, and disparities are reduced to a minimum.
PM-AJAY aims to advance the socio-economic and educational empowerment of Scheduled Caste communities through infrastructure development, livelihood promotion, education and improved access to basic services.
The scheme has three components – development of SC-dominated villages into Adarsh Grams, grants-in-aid for socio-economic projects at the state and district levels, and construction and repair of hostels.
Under the grants-in-aid component, financial assistance is provided for state and district-level projects aimed at the socio-economic advancement of SCs.
It focuses on increasing the income of the target population through comprehensive livelihood projects, skill development and related infrastructure, the ministry said.
The component also seeks to improve the socio-economic development indicators by creating adequate infrastructure in SC-dominated villages, while promoting literacy and school enrolment among SC students through residential schools wherever required.
About ₹1,730 crore was released directly to the states under this component from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
The support extended skilling and livelihood opportunities to more than 2.5 lakh individual and group beneficiaries, the ministry said.
Under the hostel component, the ministry seeks to enable and encourage SC students to pursue quality education. The hostels are particularly beneficial for students from rural and remote areas as they provide access to accommodation and educational opportunities, the ministry said.
As of September 2026, 785 student hostels had been completed under the scheme. For 2026-27, the government has allocated ₹61.46 crore in central assistance for two hostel projects, one for girls and the other for boys, which will provide accommodation for 264 students.
The ministry has also launched the PM-AJAY mobile application and portal to strengthen implementation and monitoring, facilitating a transition from paper-based workflows to end-to-end real-time digital processing.
The technology-enabled framework is aimed at improving information access, monitoring and data-driven decision-making, while strengthening coordination, transparency, accountability and efficiency in the delivery of welfare interventions.
PM-AJAY is a 100 per cent centrally-funded scheme, while states and Union territories may supplement it with additional resources wherever required.
Under the funding framework, up to 50 per cent of funds may be utilised for gap-filling activities in select Adarsh Grams.
Up to 5 per cent is allocated for setting up and operating technical support groups and project implementation units at the central, state and district levels, while up to 2 per cent is earmarked for construction and repair of hostels, including support for central institutions.
The remaining funds are provided as grants-in-aid for projects at the district and state levels.
The grants-in-aid allocations take into account factors such as the SC population and the ratio of the State Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan to the annual plan in relation to the SC population of states and UTs.
Following the completion of infrastructure projects, their maintenance and operation are to be undertaken by the concerned state governments or implementing agencies.
The Centre also assists in maintenance under the hostel component.
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