PM-AJAY: 18,093 Villages Declared Adarsh Grams; ₹1,730 Crore Released Under Grants-in-Aid

PM-AJAY has declared 18,093 villages as Adarsh Grams as of September 8, 2026, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said. Under the Adarsh Gram part of the scheme, more than 47,200 villages have been covered and over 47.79 lakh people got benefits. In all, 46,944 development works are complete and 27,032 Village Development Plans have been prepared.

About ₹1,730 crore was released straight to states under the Grants-in-Aid part from 2021-22 to 2025-26. This money gave skill training and income opportunities to more than 2.5 lakh people and groups.

Under the hostel part, 785 student hostels were complete as of September 2026. For 2026-27, the Government has allocated ₹61.46 crore in central assistance for two hostel projects, one for girls and one for boys, with room for 264 students.

PM-AJAY is a 100 per cent centrally funded scheme. States and Union Territories can add their own funds. Up to 50 per cent of funds may be used for gap-filling work in selected Adarsh Gram villages, up to 5 per cent for Technical Support Groups and Project Implementation Units, and up to 2 per cent for building and repair of hostels. The PM-AJAY Portal and mobile app now handle this work end to end.