The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has reported significant progress under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), a central programme designed to improve living conditions in Scheduled Caste communities. In Andhra Pradesh, the scheme has declared 892 villages as model settlements known as Adarsh Grams while reaching nearly 1.20 lakh people through livelihood and infrastructure support during 2023-24 to 2025-26.
What the scheme covers
PM-AJAY works across multiple areas of village development. Since 2018-19, a total of 1,159 villages in Andhra Pradesh have been selected for the Adarsh Gram component. Districts with the most villages in the scheme include Tirupati (221 villages), Prakasam (111), Chittoor (101), Eluru (99) and Krishna (88). All villages selected in Krishna, Sri Sathya Sai and Vizianagaram have achieved Adarsh Gram status.
An Adarsh Gram is expected to have adequate physical and social infrastructure and show measurable progress across development indicators, with villages aiming to score 70 out of 100. Currently, 267 selected villages are working towards this status through gap-filling infrastructure projects.
During 2023-24 to 2025-26, the Grants-in-Aid component of PM-AJAY supported 1,19,679 beneficiaries in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, 1,11,697 received infrastructure development assistance, 6,132 benefited from income-generating and livelihood activities, and 1,850 participated in skill development programmes. Prakasam district covered the most beneficiaries at 12,571, while skill development initiatives in NTR and Tirupati reached 160 beneficiaries each.
What this means for you
If you live in a selected village in Andhra Pradesh, your community may receive support for essential services, water supply, roads and other basic facilities. The scheme also offers opportunities for skill training and income-generation projects that can improve employment prospects. However, additional funds are currently tied to the effective use of previously released money and submission of required documents by district authorities.