Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN)

Overview

Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15, 2023 (Birsa Munda Jayanti/Janjatiya Gaurav Divas) for the holistic development of 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across 18 States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was announced in Union Budget 2023-24.

With a total corpus of ₹24,104 crore (Centre: ₹15,336 crore; States: ₹8,768 crore) over 2023-2026, PM-JANMAN targets approximately 28 lakh individuals across 22,000+ PVTG villages. The scheme coordinates 11 critical interventions through 9 line ministries under the overall coordination of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. PM-JANMAN has been extended until March 2027 as several targets could not be fully met within the original timeline.

11 Critical Interventions

Housing

• 4.9 lakh pucca houses targeted under PM Awas Yojana-Gramin convergence
• 4.6 lakh houses sanctioned as of 2025; 1.36 lakh completed
• Gujarat leads in implementation with 14,552 houses sanctioned

Roads and Connectivity

• 6,506 km of roads sanctioned for PVTG habitations
• 637 km completed — enhancing connectivity to remote tribal areas
• 3,000 mobile towers planned for villages; broadband connectivity for remote areas

Healthcare

• 694 Mobile Medical Units sanctioned — all operational (Ministry of Health)
• Convergence with PMJAY for health insurance, sickle cell disease elimination, TB elimination, and immunisation drives
• AYUSH Wellness Centres in PVTG areas
• Convergence with PM Surakshit Matritva and PM Matru Vandana for maternal health

Nutrition and Childcare

• 2,500 Anganwadi centres planned — 2,027 operational (Ministry of Women and Child Development)
• Convergence with PM Poshan for supplementary nutrition
• Focus on addressing chronic malnutrition in PVTG children

Education

• EMRS in every block with 50%+ tribal population
• Hostels, tribal school upgrades, and skill/vocational training
• Digital education infrastructure in remote areas

Water and Sanitation

• Piped drinking water through Jal Jeevan Mission convergence
• Sanitation facilities under Swachh Bharat Mission

Electrification

• Household electrification through PM Saubhagya and off-grid solar
• Focus on last-mile connectivity in remote PVTG habitations

Financial Inclusion

• PM Jan Dhan Yojana accounts for all PVTG families
• Access to banking, insurance, and credit services

Livelihoods

• 500 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for value addition of forest produce
• Skill development and vocational training
• Support for Forest Rights Act (FRA) title holders

Progress Report (as of 2025)

Budget Allocation

• Total corpus: ₹24,104 crore over 2023-2026 (now extended to 2027)
• Budget 2025-26: Allocation doubled to ₹300 crore from the previous year
• High-level review conference held in May 2025 in New Delhi — stressed 100% saturation at implementation level

What are PVTGs?

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) are the most disadvantaged among India’s Scheduled Tribes. They were identified based on three criteria:

1. Pre-agricultural level of technology
2. Stagnant or declining population
3. Extremely low literacy

There are 75 PVTGs across 18 States and one UT (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). They were identified in 1975, 1993, and 2006. The Dhebar Commission (1960-61) first recommended special provisions for these groups, then called “Primitive Tribal Groups” — renamed to “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups” in 2006.

Latest Developments

• December 2025: PM-JANMAN scheme extended until March 2027 as many targets remained unmet within the original 2025-26 timeline
• May 2025: High-level review conference in New Delhi — 18 states participated; focus on achieving 100% saturation
• Gujarat leads nationally in PM-JANMAN housing implementation with 14,552 houses sanctioned
• All 694 Mobile Medical Units are operational — delivering doorstep healthcare
• 2,027 of 2,500 Anganwadi centres functional for nutrition and childcare
• Budget 2025-26: Allocation doubled to ₹300 crore to accelerate implementation
• Housing: 1.36 lakh houses completed out of 4.6 lakh sanctioned; target of 4.9 lakh by 2026-27
• Roads: 637 km of 6,506 km sanctioned roads completed — connectivity remains a major challenge

Prelims Importance

• PM-JANMAN targets 75 PVTGs across 18 States + Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Launched on November 15, 2023 (Birsa Munda Jayanti / Janjatiya Gaurav Divas)
• Total corpus: ₹24,104 crore (Centre ₹15,336 crore + State ₹8,768 crore)
• 11 interventions through 9 ministries
• Beneficiaries: approximately 28 lakh PVTG individuals
• PVTGs identified based on: pre-agricultural technology, declining/stagnant population, very low literacy
• 75 PVTGs identified in 3 phases: 1975, 1993, 2006
• Dhebar Commission first recommended special provisions for “Primitive Tribal Groups”
• Renamed from “Primitive Tribal Groups” to “PVTGs” in 2006
• Extended until March 2027
• Ministry: Tribal Affairs (nodal coordination)

Mains and Interview Importance

GS Paper 2 — Social Justice, Tribal Welfare, Governance:

• PM-JANMAN targets only 75 PVTGs among 705+ Scheduled Tribes. Critically examine whether such hyper-targeting is more effective than broad-based tribal welfare programmes like PMJUGA.
• Discuss the challenges of implementing PM-JANMAN in geographically remote PVTG habitations. How do terrain, governance gaps, and lack of data affect outcomes?
• The PM-JANMAN scheme has been extended to 2027 due to slow progress. Evaluate the implementation bottlenecks — is the problem one of resources, coordination, or access?

Interview Angle:

“PM-JANMAN has sanctioned 4.6 lakh houses but completed only 1.36 lakh so far, and only 637 km of 6,506 km of roads have been built. Why is there a large gap between sanctioning and completion, and how would you accelerate implementation in remote PVTG areas?”

Sources: Ministry of Tribal Affairs, PIB, Business Standard, Drishti IAS