PM JANMAN: How govt is expanding housing, healthcare and livelihood support for PVTGs

The Government of India launched the "PM- Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN)" to improve the socio-economic status of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), among the most vulnerable tribal communities in the country.Implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the mission seeks to bridge gaps in health, education and livelihoods by expanding access to basic services and infrastructure in PVTG communities. These include housing, drinking water, electricity, healthcare, education, road connectivity, telecom services and livelihood opportunities.A key feature of the mission is its inter-ministerial convergence model. While the Ministry of Tribal Affairs serves as the nodal ministry, nine line ministries and departments implement various central sector and centrally sponsored schemes under the programme. The mission focuses on 11 critical interventions aimed at saturating PVTG communities and families with basic services and infrastructure.Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) is a scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs being implemented since 2024. It aims to enhance the socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by providing them with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, electrification of un-electrified households and sustainable livelihood opportunities.Housing: The scheme provides pucca houses to all eligible Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group households currently living in kaccha houses. The target is to cover 4.90 lakh households.The basic unit cost of the house has been enhanced to Rs 2,00,000. With additional facilities, the total support rises to Rs 2,39,000 per household.Drinking water: The mission seeks to provide piped water supply or Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to all PVTG households.In villages and habitations with fewer than 20 households, community water supply systems will be provided.Road connectivity: The scheme aims to construct 8,000 kilometres of connecting roads linking approximately 6,500 PVTG villages.The construction cost is Rs 1 crore per kilometre.Health services: The mission targets deployment of 1,000 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) in PVTG habitations and villages.The cost is Rs 33.88 lakh per MMU per annum, with Operational Expenditure (Op Ex) as per norms.Education infrastructure: The scheme provides for the construction of 500 residential hostels in existing schools located in PVTG areas.The cost of each hostel is Rs 2.75 crore, subject to the actual estimate as per the existing cost-sharing ratio.Anganwadi Centres: A total of 2,500 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) are to be constructed in PVTG habitations and villages.The unit cost is Rs 12 lakh per Anganwadi Centre.Livelihood support through VDVKs: The mission aims to establish 500 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs). An amount of Rs 15 lakh meant for 300 members will be released on a pro-rata basis.Multipurpose centres: The scheme targets the construction of 1,000 Multipurpose Centres (MPCs). The unit cost is Rs 60 lakh per centre.Solar power and electricity: Solar power solutions will be provided to one lakh PVTG households. Funding support is Rs 50,000 per household or the actual cost for a 300-watt supply.The scheme also provides on-grid electricity connections to identified PM-JANMAN beneficiary households.Telecom connectivity: The mission aims to install 3,000 mobile towers in villages and habitations that currently lack telecom coverage.Apart from infrastructure and basic services, PM JANMAN also includes a skill development and entrepreneurship component.The scheme focuses on 11 critical interventions related to nine key Ministries, including the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The key intervention of the MSDE is facilitating skill and entrepreneurship development in Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs).The Ministry, through its autonomous institutions — National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) — is implementing the skilling and entrepreneurship component of PM JANMAN with the support of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).The programme is being implemented across 15 states, under which a total of 500 VDVKs are to be operationalized by March 31, 2026, covering 41,913 VDVK members.Under this programme, NIESBUD and IIE have signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with TRIFED.The responsibility of TRIFED is to coordinate with State Implementing Agencies (SIAs) for mobilization and establishment of VDVKs and arrange tools and equipment for the PVTG VDVKs.NIESBUD and IIE are responsible for conducting skill and entrepreneurship training programmes in the identified VDVKs.As on February 28, 2026, a total of 38,391 VDVK members had been trained under the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), while 489 VDVKs had been operationalized.The applicant must belong to a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) community.The applicant must reside in one of the 18 States and Union Territories having a notified PVTG population.The applicant household must be identified as eligible through the physical survey conducted by state governments using the mobile application on the PM Gati-shakti Portal.The applicant household seeking a pucca house must currently reside in a kaccha house.The applicant household seeking solar power solutions must be an unelectrified household not covered under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).The applicant household seeking an on-grid electricity connection shall be an identified beneficiary household under PM-JANMAN, irrespective of standard eligibility criteria under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) for the State and Electricity distribution company (DISCOM).State Governments conduct a detailed physical survey of each PVTG habitation to identify gaps relating to the 11 critical interventions covered under the mission.The data gathered during the survey is simultaneously updated and cross-verified through a mobile application developed on the PM Gati-shakti Portal.The Block Level Implementation Team, consisting of officers designated by the District Collector, identifies beneficiary families that have not yet been saturated with entitlements and facilitates application filing under the relevant schemes.The District Level Committee is also responsible for the registration and filing of applications of eligible beneficiaries for each scheme covered under the mission.Following application filing and preliminary eligibility checks, certain infrastructure proposals, including those related to Multipurpose Centres, are forwarded by the Secretary or Principal Secretary of the State Tribal Welfare Department to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.The proposals are examined by the relevant division, approved by the Mission Director of PM-JANMAN and granted financial concurrence by the Internal Finance Division.Applicants may be required to submit the following documents: