Government Welfare Schemes Progress Report 2014-2026

This comprehensive backgrounder documents the Indian government's Antyodaya-based welfare initiatives targeting marginalized communities including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, and minority communities over the past 12 years. The report highlights measurable progress across education, skilling, infrastructure, and livelihood generation through multiple coordinated schemes.

Tribal Community Development

The Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), launched in November 2023 with a budgetary outlay of ₹24,104 crore, targets 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) across 18 states and 1 Union Territory through 11 interventions implemented by 9 ministries. As of April 2026, 491 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras have been operationalized out of a target of 500, with 38,391 PVTG members trained under the Entrepreneurship Development Programme. These Kendras have generated significant economic activity, with one example in Jharkhand's Gariyaband district achieving sales of ₹159.59 lakh through Ayurvedic product manufacturing.

Educational infrastructure for tribal communities has expanded substantially through Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), with 499 schools currently operational enrolling over 1.56 lakh students and 323 additional schools under construction. The program has demonstrated remarkable success with 597 EMRS students clearing JEE and NEET examinations in 2024-25, up from just 2 in 2022-23. The schools provide modern facilities including smart classrooms, science and computer laboratories, and digital learning infrastructure in remote tribal-dominated areas.

Scheduled Caste Empowerment

The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) launched in 2021 focuses on integrated development of SC-majority villages, covering 47,334 villages across 597 districts in 26 states. The program reaches more than 4 crore Scheduled Caste citizens and over 83 lakh households, with more than 25,000 villages completing infrastructure assessment exercises to identify gaps in roads, water supply, education, sanitation, and connectivity.

Educational support for SC students has shown significant results. The Pre-Matric Scholarship scheme disbursed ₹359.47 crore to 17.14 lakh students in 2025-26 through Direct Benefit Transfer. Scheduled Caste enrolment in higher education reached 66.23 lakh in 2021–22, representing a 44% increase since 2014–15, with female enrolment rising to 31.71 lakh (51% increase). The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of SC students in higher education increased from 18.9% in 2014–15 to 25.9% in 2021–22, while GER in Classes XI–XII improved from 52.9% in 2019–20 to 61.5% in 2021–22.

The SHRESHTA scheme for residential education supported 19,754 Scheduled Caste students across 288 schools and institutions in 2025-26 through two modes: direct financial support for quality schools and funding for empaneled residential institutions.

Other Marginalized Communities

The PM-YASASVI scheme supports OBC, EBC and DNT students through five components with at least 30% reservation for girls. PM-DAKSH has trained over 2.08 lakh beneficiaries from marginalized communities including SCs, OBCs, EBCs, Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, and sanitation workers since its launch in 2020-21.

For Denotified and Nomadic Tribes, the SEED scheme disbursed ₹26.75 crore in 2025-26 to provide free coaching support to 4,485 DNT students and channeled ₹16 crore directly to 64,701 individuals for livelihood support. Additionally, 73,569 Ayushman Bharat health insurance cards were issued to DNT families in the same period.

The newly launched PM VIKAS scheme for minority communities has enrolled 73,200 candidates as of June 10, 2026, with 12,429 candidates trained through 31 Training Partners and 353 Training Centres across diverse job roles including airline cabin crew, multi-skill technician, and traditional hand embroidery.

Sanitation Workers and Regional Development

The NAMASTE scheme, launched in FY 2023-24, addresses the safety and dignity of sanitation workers by replacing hazardous manual cleaning with mechanized systems. The scheme was expanded in June 2024 to include waste pickers in both urban and rural areas.

The Aspirational Districts Programme, launched in 2018 covering 112 districts, and the Aspirational Blocks Programme (2023) covering 500 blocks across 329 districts, have demonstrated measurable results including 100% screening coverage for diabetes and hypertension in Lakhipur, Assam, and zero maternal deaths in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu between April 2023 and March 2024.