Central Government Welfare Schemes in Tamil Nadu
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has provided substantial financial support to vulnerable communities in Tamil Nadu through various welfare programs over the past three financial years (2023-24 to 2025-26). Scheduled Caste students received significant educational support through scholarship schemes, with the Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme showing increasing beneficiaries from 3,35,642 (2023-24) to 5,82,684 (2025-26) and corresponding Central assistance growing from ₹70.56 crores to ₹121.49 crores. The Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme supported 9,34,793 students with ₹1,032.09 crores in 2023-24, decreased to 6,43,761 students with ₹713.69 crores in 2024-25, and increased again to 9,66,840 students with ₹1,034.94 crores in 2025-26. Collectively, these two scholarship schemes benefited over 25.85 lakh Scheduled Caste students with total Central assistance exceeding ₹3,080 crores.
The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyudaya Yojana (PM-AJAY) allocated ₹18,606.69 lakh (2023-24), ₹22,325.63 lakh (2024-25), and ₹165.55 lakh (2025-26) under its Adarsh Gram component. The Grants-in-Aid component received ₹9,182.94 lakh (2023-24), ₹9,674.36 lakh (2024-25), and ₹11,962.81 lakh (2025-26). Senior citizen welfare programs received sustained funding through the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC) with ₹15.63 crore (2023-24), ₹16.36 crore (2024-25), and ₹15.78 crore (2025-26), while the State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC) received ₹0.15 crore (2023-24) and ₹1.43 crore (2025-26).
The PM-YASASVI scheme for OBC, EBC, and DNT students provided Pre-Matric scholarships worth ₹40.47 crore (2023-24), ₹23.63 crore (2024-25), and ₹35.29 crore (2025-26), and Post-Matric scholarships worth ₹135 crore (2023-24), ₹119.37 crore (2024-25), and ₹106.74 crore (2025-26). Hostel construction support amounted to ₹5.25 crore, ₹1.30 crore, and ₹0.03 crore over the three years. Top Class Education support increased significantly, with school education funding rising from ₹1.88 crore (2023-24) to ₹30.62 crore (2025-26) and college education support growing from ₹5.71 crore (2023-24) to ₹15.41 crore (2025-26).
The National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) scheme validated 6,891 sewer and septic tank workers in Tamil Nadu with equivalent PPE kits distributed, provided 37 safety devices to ERSUs, organized 98 workshops on hazardous cleaning prevention, and gave capital subsidy for mechanized equipment to 44 workers. Additionally, 34,854 waste pickers were validated with 9,925 PPE kits distributed. The government emphasized its commitment to ensuring educational opportunities, social protection, and economic empowerment reach all eligible beneficiaries through these comprehensive welfare initiatives.