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Social Issues › Poverty, hunger and livelihoods

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Social security

Pensions, provident funds and the welfare schemes for workers and artisans.

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Schemes in news: PM-AJAY and PM Vishwakarma

BriefPrelims8 Sep 2026

Two scheme updates in September, each with the facts a question can carry.

Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), Social Justice Ministry, 2021-22, centrally sponsored.
It merged three schemes: the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, Special Central Assistance to the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan, and the Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana. Its three components follow from them:

Adarsh Gram: infrastructure and services in villages with a Scheduled Caste population of 40 per cent or more and at least 500 people; 18,093 villages had been declared Adarsh Gram by 8 September 2026, of 47,243 taken up.
Grants in aid to States for livelihood, skilling and infrastructure projects, with priority to families earning up to ₹2.5 lakh a year; over ₹1,730 crore released from 2021-22 to 2025-26 for more than 2.5 lakh individual and group beneficiaries.
Hostels for Scheduled Caste students: 785 completed by September 2026.

PM Vishwakarma, MSME Ministry, launched 17 September 2023 (Vishwakarma Jayanti), a central sector scheme of ₹13,000 crore for 2023-24 to 2027-28, for artisans in 18 family based trades who work with their hands and tools in the unorganised sector.
At three years, on 16 September 2026, the Ministry reported the 30 lakh registration target reached, 24.37 lakh trained, 18.16 lakh toolkits given and 6.19 lakh loans of about ₹5,316 crore sanctioned.

Samman, Samarthya, Samriddhi: recognition (a certificate and identity card), capability (basic training of five to seven days and advanced training of fifteen days or more, with a ₹500 a day stipend, and a toolkit of up to ₹15,000) and prosperity (credit and markets).
Credit: collateral free loans in two tranches, ₹1 lakh over 18 months after basic training and ₹2 lakh over 30 months after repayment, at 5 per cent interest with the government bearing an 8 per cent subvention; ₹1 an eligible digital transaction up to 100 a month.
Eligibility: 18 or above, one member a family, no government employee's family, and no similar self employment loan in the previous five years (a repaid MUDRA or PM SVANidhi loan does not disqualify).

Exam lens: PM-AJAY's three merged schemes and three components, the 40 per cent and 500 person village test; PM Vishwakarma's 18 trades, ₹13,000 crore, 17 September 2023, the ₹1 lakh and ₹2 lakh tranches at 5 per cent, the ₹15,000 toolkit.

Sources

DD India, 28 September 2026
PIB, 16 September 2026

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