Gandhinagar, Aug 18 (IANS) The Gujarat government has decided to establish a State-Level Project Management Unit (PMU) to strengthen the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), which focuses on the socio-economic development and empowerment of Scheduled Caste communities.
The decision follows guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It aims to create a dedicated mechanism to track progress under the scheme, improve coordination between departments, and assess outcomes more systematically.
The PM-AJAY guidelines provide for interventions including developing Scheduled Caste-dominated villages as Adarsh Grams, state- and district-level projects for socio-economic development, and residential facilities.
Under the new arrangement, the State-Level PMU will include a State Social Justice Lead and State Social Justice Coordinators.
The state government has also constituted a high-level selection committee to oversee the selection and appointment of personnel for the unit.
“The move was taken under the guidance of Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Pradyuman Vaja and Minister of State, Dr Manisha Vakil,” officials said.
Following a proposal from the Director of the Scheduled Caste Welfare Department and in accordance with the Centre’s guidelines, the department issued a resolution on August 6 to establish the PMU and constitute the selection committee.
The committee will comprise senior officials at Secretary level from the Social Justice and Empowerment Department, the concerned officer from the Scheduled Caste Welfare Department, and a representative from the Centre’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
The Director of the Scheduled Caste Welfare Department will serve as the Member Secretary. The PMU is expected to provide a dedicated state-level mechanism to monitor activities under PM-AJAY and regularly evaluate progress.
It will also facilitate coordination among departments involved in implementation and enable corrective measures when required.
For beneficiaries, the government said regular monitoring and evaluation would help make implementation more systematic and result-oriented.
For the administrative machinery, the unit will provide a dedicated structure for tracking progress, coordinating activities and assessing the impact of initiatives undertaken under the scheme.
The recruitment and appointment of PMU personnel, including the number of staff, educational qualifications, experience, honorarium, tenure and service conditions, will be governed by the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on June 16 this year, along with subsequent amendments.
The state will also follow any further guidelines and instructions issued by the Centre concerning PM-AJAY.
PM-AJAY has been implemented since 2021-22 after the merger of three schemes — the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana — with the stated objective of improving socio-economic conditions among Scheduled Caste communities.
The state government’s new PMU will therefore serve as the state’s dedicated mechanism to oversee implementation and assess the progress and impact of PM-AJAY.
–IANS
mys/dan
