• Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar chaired a meeting of the central advisory committee for the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY)

• PM-AJAY is aimed at reducing poverty among the SC communities through various initiatives like the generation of additional employment and improving socio-economic indicators in SC dominated villages.

• The meeting reviewed its progress and discussed strategies for the socio-economic upliftment of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities across India.

• The committee extensively discussed the scheme’s three core components highlighting the role of state and district-level authorities in ensuring effective implementation.

Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY)

• Scheduled Castes(SCs), who constitute 16.6 per cent of our population as per 2011 Census, have historically suffered social and educational disabilities and economic deprivation arising therefrom. 

• Accordingly, special provisions have been enshrined in the Constitution for advancement of their interests. These provisions range from measures to remove any kind of social disabilities imposed on them to ensure equality of opportunity in every sphere, to measures of positive discrimination to bring them at par with the rest of the population.

• Article 46 of Part-IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution enjoins upon the State to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. 

• Article 38(2) in the same Part also enjoins upon the State to minimise inequities in income, and to endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations.

• The government, including state governments, had taken a number of initiatives for development of SCs, which have yielded positive outcomes, and have also resulted in narrowing the gaps between Scheduled Castes and the rest of the population. 

• These initiatives were for the social integration of the vulnerable groups and to provide them the necessary ecosystem for educational and economic upliftment.

• The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment introduced the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ‘Special Central Assistance (SCA) to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP)’ in 1980, in order to ensure that states/UTs prepare the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and this scheme provided the necessary catalyst in the form of financial support from the central government. Under the scheme, grant is given to state governments/UTs administrations as an additive to their Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP).

• In 2009-10, the government of India started implementation of new Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) to enable an area based developmental approach for integrated development of SC dominated villages, that is villages having SC population more than 50 per cent. 

• The scheme was further expanded in 2014-15 and since 2018-19, it is being implemented as a continuous scheme.

• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) was launched in 2021-22 by merging three schemes — Adarsh Gram, Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana.

Objectives of the scheme:

i) To reduce poverty of the SC communities by generation of additional employment opportunities through skill development, income generating schemes and other initiatives.

ii) To improve socio-economic developmental indicators by ensuring adequate infrastructure and requisite services in the SC dominated villages.

iii) 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.

Broadly, the scheme has following three components:

i) Development of SC dominated villages into an ‘Adarsh Gram’.

ii) ‘Grants-in-aid’ for district/state-level projects for socio-economic betterment of SCs that may include creation of infrastructure in SC dominated villages including those elected under Adarsh Gram component, construction of hostels/residential schools, Comprehensive Livelihood Projects which may include components such as skill development, related infrastructure development, financial assistance towards loans taken by beneficiaries for acquisition/creation of assets required for livelihood generation, etc.

iii) Construction of hostels in higher educational institutions which are top-ranked as per the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of government of India and are funded by the Centre/state/UT governments either fully or partially. Similarly, construction of hostels in schools which are either fully or partially funded by the Centre/state/UT governments and recommended by the Ministry of Education.

Funding pattern

• The scheme is 100 per cent funded by the central government. However, the states/UTs are free to provide additional funds from their own resources if they so desire. 

• After completion of the infrastructure projects under the scheme, their upkeep and operations shall be taken care of by state governments/implementing agencies, as the case may be. Sufficient provisions shall be kept in states’ SCSP allocation for taking up the maintenance, upkeep or operations of all such projects.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)