SRINAGAR: The Union Government has released Rs 40 lakh for the Scheduled Caste (SC) hostel component of the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) in Jammu and Kashmir, but no hostel has been sanctioned in the Union Territory under the scheme since 2021-22, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said the hostel component, earlier known as the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana, has sanctioned 90 hostels across 66 districts since 2021-22, benefiting 10,649 students. A total of Rs 198.52 crore has been released nationwide, while 10 hostels have been completed.
Jammu and Kashmir, however, figures in the state-wise annexure with zero hostels sanctioned, zero beneficiaries and zero hostels completed, despite the release of Rs 0.40 crore.
The government said PM-AJAY was created in 2021-22 by merging three schemes — the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana.
The hostel component is now known as SC Hostels and aims to support hostel facilities for Scheduled Caste students.
Among the States, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of sanctioned hostels at 25 across 16 districts, covering 2,930 beneficiaries, with Rs 33.14 crore released. However, none of these hostels had been completed.
Karnataka has 11 sanctioned hostels across eight districts, while Nagaland has completed all eight of its sanctioned hostels. Madhya Pradesh and Tripura have completed one hostel each.
The government said physical inspections of PM-AJAY hostels have been conducted by the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), a subordinate office of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The scheme has also been evaluated by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of NITI Aayog. The evaluation covered all three components of PM-AJAY across multiple States and assessed its relevance, effectiveness and outcomes.
According to the government, the evaluation found that PM-AJAY is aligned with national development priorities and has contributed to improvements in basic infrastructure, educational access and socio-economic conditions of Scheduled Caste communities.
The Ministry further stated that hostels sanctioned under PM-AJAY, including those in Andhra Pradesh, have undergone geo-tagging and geo-fencing, with the information reflected on the PM-AJAY portal.
