47,328 Villages Selected Under PM-AJAY Adarsh Gram Component Across the Country; 435 Villages in Telangana

I have sufficient facts from Tier-1 sources (pib.gov.in). Writing the study note.

1. At a Glance

• PM-AJAY (Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for integrated socio-economic development of Scheduled Caste communities, run by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment [S1].
• Its Adarsh Gram Component targets "model village" development against 50 monitorable socio-economic indicators across 10 development sectors/domains [S2].
• 47,328 villages have now been selected nationwide under this component, with 435 in Telangana — a fact revealed via a Rajya Sabha written reply, making it both a static scheme and a current data-point topic [S1].
• Relevant for Prelims (scheme facts, numbers) and Mains GS-II (welfare schemes for SCs, federalism in implementation).

2. Why in the News

• On 3 August 2026, MoS Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Ramdas Athawale, replying to MP Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi in the Rajya Sabha, disclosed that 47,328 villages have been selected under the Adarsh Gram Component across the country, including 435 in Telangana; over 3.28 lakh development works have been identified and more than 47.59 lakh beneficiaries saturated [S1].

3. Background & Evolution

• PM-AJAY launched in 2021-22 by merging three pre-existing schemes: (i) Adarsh Gram Yojana, (ii) Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and (iii) Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana [S3].
• The merged scheme retains three components: Adarsh Gram, Grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects for socio-economic betterment of SC communities, and Hostel [S2][S3].
• Scheme is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with the Adarsh Gram component reportedly 100% centrally funded [S3].
• PM-AJAY Portal and AJAY Mobile App launched by Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar to digitize surveys and Village Development Plan (VDP) preparation, moving from paper-based to digital workflows [S4].
• Till March 2025, more than 11,000 villages had already been declared as "Adarsh Grams" (model villages) [S2].

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Social - Directly targets SC welfare gaps — housing, education, health, infrastructure — via a "saturation" approach converging Central and State schemes [S1]. - Telangana-specific data shows sectoral tracking, e.g., in education: 3,529 beneficiaries identified, 472 have received benefits — indicating slow last-mile delivery even after identification [S1].

Administrative - Implementation is federal — states conduct Need Assessment Surveys and prepare Village Development Plans, then Centre tracks via portal/app dashboards at national, state, district levels [S1][S4]. - Gap between "identified" (3.28 lakh works) and "completed" (46,642 works) highlights implementation lag — under 15% completion nationally on works count basis [S1].

Governance/Ethical - Digitization (Portal + App) aims to improve transparency and reduce leakages/duplication versus earlier paper-based VDP processes [S4]. - Parliamentary scrutiny (written replies in Rajya Sabha) is the primary accountability mechanism surfacing progress data [S1].

Historical - Represents a rationalization/convergence trend — three older, fragmented SC-welfare schemes consolidated into one umbrella scheme (2021-22) for better fund utilization [S3].

Economic - 100% Central funding model reduces state fiscal burden but increases dependence on Central disbursement timelines for saturation targets [S3].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• March 2025: Cumulative count of villages declared as "Adarsh Gram" crossed 11,000 [S2].
• 2025-26: PM-AJAY Portal & AJAY Mobile App rolled out to digitize surveys/VDPs [S4].
• 3 August 2026: Latest Rajya Sabha disclosure — 47,328 villages selected nationally, 435 in Telangana, 3.28 lakh works identified, 47.59 lakh beneficiaries saturated [S1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• PM-AJAY stands for Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana [S1].
• Implementing ministry: Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (not Ministry of Rural Development) [S1].
• PM-AJAY launched in 2021-22 by merging three schemes [S3].
• Three merged predecessor schemes: Adarsh Gram Yojana, SCA to SCSP, Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana [S3].
• PM-AJAY has three components: Adarsh Gram, Grants-in-aid for District/State projects, Hostel [S2][S3].
• Adarsh Gram Component monitors 50 indicators across 10 development sectors [S2].
• 47,328 villages selected nationally under Adarsh Gram Component (as of Aug 2026) [S1].
• 435 villages selected in Telangana specifically [S1].
• Over 3.28 lakh development works identified nationally [S1].
• More than 47.59 lakh beneficiaries saturated under the scheme [S1].
• Till March 2025, 11,000+ villages declared Adarsh Grams [S2].
• Digital tools: PM-AJAY Portal and AJAY Mobile App [S4].
• Disclosure made by MoS Ramdas Athawale in Rajya Sabha, in reply to MP Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi [S1].
• PM-AJAY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, target group is Scheduled Castes [S1][S3].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors; issues arising from design and implementation of welfare schemes for vulnerable sections (SCs).
• GS-I (secondary): Social empowerment, poverty and developmental issues.
• Possible question stems: 1. "Discuss the objectives and design of PM-AJAY's Adarsh Gram Component. What administrative bottlenecks impede saturation of identified development works?" (GS-II) 2. "Critically examine the shift from scheme-specific welfare programmes to convergence-based models like PM-AJAY in addressing Scheduled Caste development gaps." (GS-II) 3. "How effective is digitization (portals, mobile apps) in improving delivery and accountability in centrally sponsored welfare schemes? Illustrate with PM-AJAY." (GS-II/GS-IV)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• National Action Plan for SC welfare / SC Sub-Plan (SCSP) — predecessor funding mechanism merged into PM-AJAY.
• Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) — original standalone scheme now absorbed as a component.
• Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment schemes portfolio — broader institutional context.
• DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) in welfare schemes — relevant to "saturation" and beneficiary tracking language.
• Aspirational Districts Programme (NITI Aayog) — comparable saturation/convergence model for backward areas.
• Article 46 of the Constitution (DPSP — promotion of educational and economic interests of SCs/STs) — constitutional basis for such schemes.
• National Commission for Scheduled Castes — oversight body relevant to SC welfare monitoring.
• Digital India initiatives in welfare delivery — links to PM-AJAY Portal/App digitization trend.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Confusing PM-AJAY with PMAGY (Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana) — the latter is now a component/predecessor absorbed into PM-AJAY, not a separate active scheme.
• Wrongly attributing PM-AJAY to Ministry of Rural Development or Ministry of Tribal Affairs — correct ministry is Social Justice & Empowerment (SC-focused, not ST).
• Mixing up villages "selected" (47,328) vs villages "declared Adarsh Gram" (11,000+ as of March 2025) — these are different milestones in the same pipeline.
• Assuming PM-AJAY targets STs/OBCs — it is specifically for Scheduled Castes.
• Treating "development works identified" (3.28 lakh) as "completed" — only ~46,642 works were completed per the same reply, a large implementation gap.

11. Sources

• [S1] 47,328 Villages Selected Under PM-AJAY Adarsh Gram Component Across the Country; 435 Villages in Telangana — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2293969 — (tier: 1)
• [S2] PROGRESS UNDER PM-AJAY — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2198375 — (tier: 1)
• [S3] PM-AJAY SCHEME — https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=2042572 — (tier: 1)
• [S4] Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar launches the PM-AJAY Portal & AJAY Mobile App — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2265530 — (tier: 1)