India Rural and Tribal Development Programs Achievement Report
This PIB backgrounder documents the comprehensive achievements of India's rural and tribal development initiatives as of August 2026. The report highlights significant budget increases, with direct fiscal transfers to gram panchayats rising from ₹2.36 lakh crore under the 15th Finance Commission (2021–26) to ₹4.35 lakh crore under the 16th Finance Commission (2026–31). The Union Budget for rural development increased from ₹87,765 crore (2016–17) to ₹2.73 lakh crore (2026–27), while tribal affairs funding grew from ₹4,826 crore to ₹15,421.97 crore over the same period.
Basic Services and Infrastructure Achievements
The Jal Jeevan Mission achieved remarkable progress, increasing household tap water coverage from 3.23 crore (August 2019) to over 15.91 crore households (August 12, 2026), with 2.89 lakh villages reporting 100% tap water coverage. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan-Grameen constructed over 12.19 crore individual household toilets, and India was declared Open Defecation Free in 2019. The GOBARdhan program expanded from 14 biogas plants in FY 2018-19 to 1,288 operational plants as of August 11, 2026.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana provided over 10.57 crore free LPG connections to women from below-poverty-line households, contributing to total LPG connections increasing from 14.52 crore in 2014 to 33.39 crore in 2026. Universal village electrification was achieved by March 2019 under SAUBHAGYA, with 100% village electrification completed by 2025 under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.
Ayushman Bharat issued more than 45.51 crore Ayushman Cards and created 96.43 crore ABHA accounts, with over 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs functional as of August 12, 2026. PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana provides free foodgrains to over 81.35 crore beneficiaries, with 99.8% of Fair Price Shops automated for Aadhaar-based distribution and 100% ration card digitization across all States/UTs.
Education and Social Development
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan upgraded 4,073 schools and implemented 1.49 lakh ICT and digital initiatives between 2018-19 to 2025-26, with 25,000 schools covered under skill education. The female drop-out rate decreased from 4.6% (2013-14) to 0.1% (2025-26) at primary level and from 14.5% to 8% at secondary level. Gross Enrollment Ratio reached 89.4 at primary level and 81.5 at secondary level in 2025-26.
The 10% EWS reservation implemented in 2019 has benefited economically disadvantaged individuals from general categories. Girls' GER at secondary level rose from 75.5% in 2014–15 to 83.4% in 2025–26. Kasturba Balika Vidyalayas increased from 3,609 (2014–15) to 5,639 (2024-25) with enrollment growing from 3.52 lakh to 7.11 lakh. SWAYAM portal recorded over 6.5 crore enrolments and DIKSHA had 2.35 crore registered users as of August 12, 2026.
Housing and Connectivity Infrastructure
Under PMAY-G, over 3.91 crore houses were sanctioned and 3.13 crore houses completed as of August 12, 2026. PM Gram Sadak Yojana connected 99.6% of eligible habitations with all-weather roads, with completed road length increasing from 3.86 lakh km (May 2000 – May 2014) to 4.13 lakh km (May 2014 – August 12, 2026), and bridges rising from 484 to 10,404 during the same period.
Digital infrastructure expanded significantly with BharatNet connecting 2.19 lakh Gram Panchayats as of May 2026. eGramSwaraj processed over ₹3 lakh crore in payments, and 1.28 lakh GPs used SabhaSaar for meeting summaries as of June 2026.
Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion
DAY-NRLM mobilized 10.19 crore households into 94.46 lakh SHGs, creating 3.46 crore Lakhpati Didis as of July 29, 2026. Over 9 lakh Community Resource Persons are active across thematic areas including 50,548 Bank Sakhis, 1.91 lakh Krishi Sakhis, 2,012 Matsya Sakhis, and 1.70 lakh Pashu Sakhis. The Union Budget 2026-27 announced Self-Help Entrepreneur Mart (SHE-Mart) aiming to benefit 1 crore women.
Skill development programs showed substantial growth: DDU-GKY trained candidates increased from 43,038 in 2014–15 to 18.45 lakh by August 11, 2026, with placements rising from 21,446 to 12.35 lakh. PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana provided skill training to over 1.64 crore youth since inception till June 2026. MGNREGA generated 3,029 crore persondays between FY 2014-15 to FY 2024-25 compared to 1,660 crore in the previous eight years, with women's participation increasing from 48% to 58.19%.
e-Shram portal registrations grew from 14.40 crore (Dec 2021) to 31.87 crore (August 12, 2026). PM Vishwakarma Yojana registered over 30 lakh traditional artisans, with 24.32 lakh receiving skill training and 17.70 lakh receiving toolkits. PM SVANidhi beneficiaries increased from 26.37 lakh (Nov 2021) to 78.17 lakh (August 12, 2026) with ₹18,971.18 crore disbursed in loans, 46% to women beneficiaries.
PM MUDRA Yojana loans sanctioned increased from 3.49 crore (2016) to over 59.14 crore (July 2026). PM Jan Dhan Yojana expanded from 17.9 crore beneficiaries (Aug 2015) to 58.90 crore (August 12, 2026). Social security coverage expanded with National Pension System beneficiaries growing from 1.05 crore (2016–17) to 2.17 crore (2025–26), and Atal Pension Yojana from 48.80 lakh to 9.29 crore (June 2026).
Tribal Development Initiatives
PM-JANMAN sanctioned 540 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras benefiting 46,042 persons from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups as of August 5, 2026. PM-JVM sanctioned 4,172 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras benefiting 12.48 lakh tribals as of August 2026. PM-JUGA, involving 17 ministries, completed 7.60 lakh tribal houses, provided drinking water access to 28,303 tribal villages, electrified 59,812 tribal households and public institutions, and operationalized 657 Anganwadi Centres in tribal areas.
PM-AJAY built over 4.16 lakh Scheduled Caste houses, covered over 4.17 lakh SC households under health protection schemes, and provided over 3.57 lakh SC households with individual toilets, with 17,578 villages declared Adarsh Grams. Eklavya Model Residential Schools increased from 129 (2014–15) to 511 (August 12, 2026) with 1.68 lakh students enrolled.
Scholarship programs showed significant reach: PM-YASASVI provided pre-matric scholarships to 20.61 lakh students and post-matric scholarships to 24.53 lakh students for FY 2024-25. Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for ST students benefited over 28.99 lakh tribal students between April 2024 and August 12, 2026. National Fellowship for ST Students supported 2,961 research scholars in 2025–26, with 56% female beneficiaries. SHREYAS enabled 8,571 SC students to study in leading institutions including IITs, IIMs, NITs and AIIMS in 2025-26.
NAMASTE validated 89,915 sewer and septic tank workers and over 2.81 lakh waste pickers as of July 2026. SEED scheme disbursed ₹26.75 crore for educational empowerment of 4,485 De-Notified Tribe students during 2025-26 and issued 73,569 Ayushman Bharat cards to DNT families under the health component.