Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY)
Let us understand this scheme—of villages, tribals, development, and government intervention.
This scheme is not just about money, but about social justice, inclusion, and dignity for a population that has historically remained on the margins—Scheduled Tribes (STs).
🔷 Purpose (Why this scheme?)
The Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana, or PMAAGY, is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at one specific, noble mission:
To transform tribal villages into model villages—not just in infrastructure, but in dignity, opportunity, and access.
So, the core idea is: Where tribal population is significant, development should be significant too.
🔷 Type and Tenure
- Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), but 100% funded by the Central Government (which is rare).
- That means: States implement, but Centre pays.
- Tenure: From 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- So, it’s a time-bound, target-driven scheme.
🔷 Who Implements?
- The State Governments are the implementing agencies.
So the Centre gives money, and the States do the groundwork—planning, execution, monitoring.
🔷 Objectives: What are we trying to achieve?
Let’s divide the objectives into three clear goals:
- Village Development Plans (VDPs):
Every village must have its own development blueprint—a clear roadmap of what needs to be done. - Convergence of Benefits:
All existing schemes of Centre and State, which have a Scheduled Tribe Component, should be channelled efficiently to tribal populations.
(This avoids duplication, ensures synergy.) - Improving Basic Infrastructure:
- Health (clinics, sub-centres)
- Education (schools, Anganwadi)
- Connectivity (roads, telecom)
- Livelihood (training, support)
These are the pillars of any model village.
🔷 Background: Where did this come from?
This is not a completely new scheme.
It is actually a revamped version of the earlier:
Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub-Plan (2017)
So, PMAAGY is building upon previous experience, and scaling it with better convergence and funding clarity.
🔷 Salient Features: What makes this scheme unique?
Let’s now understand the features one by one:
✅ Convergence with 58 Schemes:
The scheme is not working in isolation. It converges with 58 different schemes—both Central and State—which have ST components.
For example: Health schemes, education schemes, sanitation schemes… all come together under one umbrella for a single village.
✅ Coverage:
This scheme is national in scope. It covers:
- All States and UTs that have notified ST populations.
Now here’s the technical cutoff:
The village must have at least 50% tribal population AND a minimum of 500 STs.
- So, the target is to cover 36,428 such villages across India.
✅ Provision of Funds:
Let’s understand how money flows:
- Each selected village gets ₹20.38 lakhs as a “Gap Filling Fund”.
- Meaning: This money is used where existing schemes fall short—infrastructure, planning, or admin support.
- Out of the total budget, 2% is reserved for administrative and monitoring expenses.
- This ensures proper implementation, audits, and tracking.
🛠 Key Projects Funded Under the Scheme
The scheme prioritizes basic and essential infrastructure. Here are examples of what gets built or upgraded:
| Sector | Projects |
| Early Childhood Care | Anganwadi Centres |
| Basic Amenities | Drinking Water, Drainage, Solid Waste Management |
| Connectivity | Internal Roads, Inter-Village Roads, Telecom Connectivity |
| Social Infrastructure | Schools, Health Sub-Centres |
So, from childhood nutrition to digital access, PMAAGY takes a 360-degree development approach.
📌 Conclusion: Why is PMAAGY important for UPSC?
- It reflects inclusive governance, targeting vulnerable sections.
- It is a model for convergence-based planning—a big theme in governance.
- It connects with tribal empowerment, decentralised planning, and grassroots democracy.
🔑 Keywords to Remember (for Mains/Essay/GS2-3)
- Tribal Sub-Plan
- Model Villages
- Gap Filling Fund
- Village Development Plan
- Convergence Approach
- ST Component in Schemes
- 100% Centrally Funded CSS