Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojna (PM-AJAY):
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 34 residential hostels across various states and central institutes (under PM-AJAY), in order to cater to the accommodation needs of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) students.
- PM-AJAY (Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at reducing poverty among Scheduled Castes (SC) communities and increasing literacy rates while encouraging SC enrollment in schools.
- The scheme comprises several components:
- Development of SC-dominated villages into “Adarsh Gram” (model villages) to uplift their socio-economic status.
- Provision of grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects focused on the socio-economic betterment of SC communities.
- Construction of hostels in Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) that are top-ranked according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), providing accommodation and support for SC students.
- Financial support for Monitoring and Evaluation to ensure effective implementation and impact assessment of the scheme.
