Scheme Primer
Social Justice & Tribal Welfare
ngo-practitioners
PMJUGA — India's Next Tribal Development Frontier After PM-JANMAN
Last verified: May 2026 · 7 min read · JaBaSu Knowledge Commons
At a Glance
| Parameter |
Detail |
| Full Name |
Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA) |
| Approved |
Cabinet approval, September 2024 |
| Nodal Ministry |
Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) |
| Status |
Implementation beginning — state-level plans under preparation |
| Budget |
Rs. 79,156 crore (2024-25 to 2028-29) |
| Target Geography |
Tribal majority villages — all villages with 50%+ tribal population across 30 states and UTs |
| Coverage |
63,000+ tribal majority villages; approximately 5 crore tribal families |
| Relationship to PM-JANMAN |
Successor / parallel — PM-JANMAN covers PVTGs (75 communities); PMJUGA covers all tribal majority villages |
| Official Ministry |
tribal.gov.in / Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
For NGOs: PMJUGA is the most significant new tribal development programme since PM-JANMAN. Where PM-JANMAN targets the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in 18 states, PMJUGA covers all tribal majority villages across 30 states — a dramatically larger footprint. Implementation is in early stages; NGOs working in tribal districts should begin tracking the state-level planning processes now to influence and support implementation.
What Is PMJUGA?
Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan — PMJUGA — is the Central Cabinet's ambitious follow-through programme approved in September 2024, building on the implementation learnings of PM-JANMAN. Where PM-JANMAN was focused on the 75 most vulnerable tribal communities (PVTGs), PMJUGA casts a much wider net: every village across India with a majority tribal population.
The scale difference is significant: PM-JANMAN covers approximately 3.12 lakh PVTG families in 1,759 habitations in Odisha. PMJUGA covers an estimated 5 crore tribal families across 63,000+ tribal majority villages nationally — making it potentially the largest tribal development programme in Indian history.
The total budget of Rs. 79,156 crore over five years (2024-25 to 2028-29) dwarfs PM-JANMAN's Rs. 24,104 crore. If implemented effectively, PMJUGA represents a transformational opportunity for tribal welfare across Odisha's 13 tribal-majority districts.
How PMJUGA Differs from PM-JANMAN
Both programmes share the same convergence architecture — bringing multiple ministry schemes into tribal villages simultaneously — but differ in scope, beneficiary profile, and programme design:
| Dimension |
PM-JANMAN |
PMJUGA |
| Target community |
75 PVTGs only |
All tribal majority villages (50%+ tribal population) |
| Coverage (national) |
~28,000 PVTG habitations |
63,000+ villages |
| Focus |
Basic infrastructure saturation (housing, roads, water, electricity) |
Holistic development including education, health, livelihoods, digital connectivity |
| Budget (national) |
Rs. 24,104 crore (2023-26) |
Rs. 79,156 crore (2024-29) |
| Timeline |
2023-26 (ending) |
2024-29 (beginning) |
| Implementation status |
Advanced — mid-implementation with documented gaps |
Early — state plans under preparation |
The 25 Interventions Across 17 Ministries
PMJUGA is structured around 25 specific interventions coordinated across 17 Union Ministries — a significantly more complex convergence than PM-JANMAN's 11 interventions across 9 ministries. The 25 interventions span:
Education and Skill Development:
- Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) expansion
- Digital literacy and connectivity in tribal schools
- Skill development centres in tribal blocks
- Higher education scholarships
Health and Nutrition:
- Mobile Medical Units in every tribal block
- Sub-centres upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres
- Nutrition programmes specifically for tribal children and mothers
Livelihoods and Economic Development:
- Van Dhan Vikas Kendra expansion and market linkage
- Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest Produce implementation
- FPO formation and collective market access for tribal farmers
- TRIFED market linkages for tribal artisans and NTFP collectors
Infrastructure:
- Piped water supply saturation (JJM convergence)
- All-weather road connectivity
- Pucca housing (PMAY-G convergence)
- Solar electrification
Governance and Rights:
- Forest Rights Act claim processing support
- PVTG Habitat Rights recognition (specifically for the 13 Odisha PVTGs under PMJUGA's tribal coverage)
- Gram Sabha strengthening and PESA implementation
Odisha's PMJUGA Coverage
In Odisha, PMJUGA covers tribal majority villages across the state's 13 tribal-heavy districts:
Districts with highest PMJUGA relevance (estimated):
- Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur (southern tribal belt)
- Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh (northern tribal belt)
- Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Bolangir (central and western tribal districts)
- Gajapati, Deogarh, Sambalpur (other tribal presence)
The tribal-majority village identification is being done based on Census 2011 tribal population data — villages where STs constitute 50% or more of the total population. State-level planning is underway to map which specific villages fall within PMJUGA coverage.
Implementation Status — Where Things Stand in May 2026
National level: Cabinet approved PMJUGA in September 2024. MoTA has issued guidelines to states for identifying PMJUGA villages and preparing district-level implementation plans. The 17-ministry convergence framework is being activated.
State level: Odisha's Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Department is preparing the state implementation plan. ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency) officers have been designated as the primary implementation mechanism at district level — the same institutional channel used for PM-JANMAN.
District level: District-level PMJUGA plans are being prepared. The same ITDA Project Officers who manage PM-JANMAN are also responsible for PMJUGA coordination. The risk is institutional overload — the same officers coordinating two major convergence programmes simultaneously.
Village level: Community mobilisation and Viksit Gram Panchayat-style planning processes have not yet been widely initiated in Odisha as of May 2026. This is the implementation gap where NGOs can add the most value in the current phase.
What NGOs Need to Know — the Practical Reality
1
This is the moment to engage — before plans are finalised. PMJUGA's district implementation plans are being prepared now. NGOs with ground presence in tribal districts that engage with ITDA and the SC&ST Development Department at this stage can shape what the programme looks like for their communities — which interventions get prioritised, how community consultation is conducted, and which NGO partners are included in implementation.
2
PMJUGA and PM-JANMAN run in parallel — don't assume coverage. NGOs in PVTG areas may assume that PM-JANMAN coverage means PMJUGA coverage — this is not necessarily true. A village with PVTGs covered under PM-JANMAN is also likely in a tribal-majority area covered by PMJUGA. The two programmes have different implementing ministries and different saturation targets. NGOs should track both independently.
3
The Van Dhan Vikas Kendra and MSP components are the highest-impact livelihood opportunities. PMJUGA's explicit mandate to implement MSP for Minor Forest Produce and expand VDVK networks is a direct response to the documented failure of PM-JANMAN to connect NTFP gatherers to MSP. NGOs already working on FRA-CFR implementation and MFP market access are the natural partners for this component.
4
The 17-ministry convergence is structurally difficult — NGOs are the connective tissue. Coordinating 17 ministries for 25 interventions in 63,000 villages simultaneously is an administrative challenge that government machinery, at the current state of institutional capacity, will struggle with. NGOs that understand multiple scheme architectures simultaneously — health, education, livelihoods, housing, water, forest rights — are the only on-ground entities capable of bridging these ministry silos at the village level.
5
PESA and PMJUGA convergence is the governance opportunity. The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) applies to all tribal areas in Odisha and mandates gram sabha authority over natural resources, development planning, and minor forest produce. PMJUGA's Gram Sabha strengthening component creates the opportunity to activate PESA provisions that have been on paper for decades. NGOs experienced in PESA training and gram sabha facilitation can connect PESA capacity building directly to PMJUGA implementation planning.
6
Digital connectivity gaps will undermine monitoring — plan for paper-based alternatives. PMJUGA's implementation architecture relies heavily on digital monitoring — beneficiary databases, real-time dashboards, geo-tagged progress. In many tribal majority villages, digital infrastructure is absent. NGOs can advocate for paper-based alternative documentation pathways to ensure that progress in remote villages is captured and does not disappear from the monitoring system.
How JaBaSu Helps NGOs Connect Their Communities
Early engagement facilitation
JaBaSu's relationships with the SC&ST Development Department and ITDA Project Officers in Odisha's tribal districts enable partner NGOs to participate in the district-level PMJUGA planning processes — attending planning meetings, submitting community-level need assessments, and ensuring that Gram Sabha voices are represented in district plans before they are finalised.
Village coverage mapping
JaBaSu helps partner NGOs map which of their operational villages fall within PMJUGA coverage (50%+ tribal population) and which interventions are formally targeted — creating a community-level entitlement map that can be used to monitor and advocate for programme delivery.
MFP market access facilitation
JaBaSu's Knowledge Commons documentation on Van Dhan Vikas Kendras, TRIFED linkage, and MSP for Minor Forest Produce equips partner NGO field staff to facilitate VDVK connections for PMJUGA-covered tribal communities — operationalising the economic rights component of the programme before the institutional machinery is ready.
PESA activation support
JaBaSu provides partner NGOs working in PESA-applicable tribal areas with training materials on gram sabha powers under PESA and how to link PESA gram sabha authority to PMJUGA planning processes — creating the community governance foundation for sustainable PMJUGA implementation.
Progress monitoring and gap documentation
JaBaSu develops simple, community-usable monitoring tools that partner NGOs can use to track PMJUGA delivery against stated targets at village level — and to formally submit gap reports to ITDA and district administration that create accountability for non-delivery.