PM-AJAY Adarsh Gram: 47,328 villages selected, 46,642 works completed
Synopsis
The government has completed 46,642 development works across 47,328 PM-AJAY Adarsh Gram villages nationwide — but with over 2.81 lakh works still pending, the gap between ambition and delivery is the real story behind the Rajya Sabha figures.
Key Takeaways
47,328 villages selected under PM-AJAY's Adarsh Gram component across India, including 435 in Telangana .
46,642 development works completed out of 3,28,131 identified — leaving over 2.81 lakh works pending.
47,59,399 beneficiaries have received scheme benefits out of 1,10,51,213 identified nationally.
In Telangana's education sector, 472 of 3,529 identified beneficiaries have received benefits so far.
States and UTs directed to verify Adarsh Gram self-declarations; progress tracked on the PMAGY Portal .
The Centre has selected 47,328 villages across India, including 435 in Telangana, under the Adarsh Gram component of the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), with 46,642 development works already completed, the government disclosed in the Rajya Sabha on 2 August. The figures were shared in a written reply by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, offering the most comprehensive public accounting of the scheme to date.
What PM-AJAY's Adarsh Gram Component Aims to Achieve
The Adarsh Gram component of PM-AJAY is designed to drive the socio-economic development of Scheduled Caste communities through the integrated uplift of selected villages. The programme targets saturation of 50 monitorable socio-economic indicators across 10 sectors, with education among the priority areas.
A needs-assessment survey is conducted in each village to establish a baseline across these indicators. Identified gaps are then addressed either through convergence with existing Central and State government schemes or through direct interventions funded under PM-AJAY itself.
Scale of Works and Beneficiaries
According to the written reply, a total of 3,28,131 development works have been identified nationwide, alongside 1,10,51,213 beneficiaries. Of these, 46,642 works have been completed so far, with 47,59,399 beneficiaries having received the benefits of the scheme.
The scale underscores both the ambition of the programme and the significant gap between works identified and works completed — a metric that will likely draw scrutiny in future parliamentary sessions.
Telangana's Progress Under the Scheme
In Telangana, 435 villages have been selected under the Adarsh Gram component. Within the education sector specifically, 3,529 beneficiaries have been identified in the state, of whom 472 have already received benefits under the scheme, Athawale informed the House.
This represents a relatively early stage of implementation for Telangana, with benefit delivery covering roughly 13% of identified beneficiaries in the education sector so far.
Monitoring and Third-Party Verification
Responding to a query on accountability mechanisms, Athawale stated that States and Union Territories have been directed to verify the self-declaration of Adarsh Gram status under the PM-AJAY framework. Progress made by states is regularly updated on the PMAGY Portal, which serves as the primary tracking tool for the scheme.
Critics and opposition members have previously flagged the reliance on self-declaration as a potential weakness in verifying on-ground outcomes, though the government maintains that portal-based monitoring provides adequate oversight.
What Comes Next
With over 2,81,000 development works still pending completion nationally, the pace of execution will be a key benchmark for the scheme's credibility. The government's push to link Scheduled Caste village development to convergence financing — rather than standalone outlays — means the programme's success is also contingent on the performance of allied Central and state schemes in the pipeline.
Point of View
But the completion ratio tells a more cautious story: fewer than 15% of identified development works have been finished, and benefit delivery has reached just 43% of identified beneficiaries. The scheme's reliance on self-declaration for Adarsh Gram status — with verification only now being mandated — is a structural accountability gap that parliament has been right to probe. Convergence financing is a sound design principle, but it also diffuses responsibility; when works stall, it becomes difficult to pin down whether the failure lies with PM-AJAY or an allied scheme. The government's next test is closing the execution gap before the political window narrows.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PM-AJAY's Adarsh Gram component?
The Adarsh Gram component of the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) is a Central government programme aimed at the integrated socio-economic development of villages with significant Scheduled Caste populations. It targets saturation of 50 measurable indicators across 10 sectors, including education, health, and infrastructure.
How many villages have been selected under PM-AJAY Adarsh Gram?
As of the government's reply to the Rajya Sabha on 2 August, 47,328 villages have been selected across India under the Adarsh Gram component, including 435 in Telangana.
How many development works have been completed under the scheme?
Of the 3,28,131 development works identified under PM-AJAY nationally, 46,642 have been completed so far, benefiting 47,59,399 beneficiaries.
How is progress under PM-AJAY monitored?
State and Union Territory governments are required to update progress on the PMAGY Portal. States have also been directed to verify the self-declaration of Adarsh Gram status, according to Minister of State Ramdas Athawale's reply in the Rajya Sabha.
What is the status of PM-AJAY in Telangana?
In Telangana, 435 villages have been selected under the Adarsh Gram component. Within the education sector, 3,529 beneficiaries have been identified, of whom 472 have already received benefits under the scheme.
