CONTENTS

1. PM-AJAY Scheme
2. Sahitya Akademi Award 2023: Celebrating Literary Excellence

PM-AJAY Scheme

Context:

Recently, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Rajya Sabha about the PM-AJAY scheme.

Relevance:

GS II: Government Policies and Interventions

PM-AJAY Scheme: Empowering Scheduled Castes for Holistic Development

Scheme Overview:

• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Merged Schemes:

• PM-AJAY is a consolidated scheme merging three Centrally Sponsored Schemes: Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY).

Objectives:

• Increase the income of the target population through income-generating schemes, skill development, and infrastructure development.
• Reduce poverty among the targeted Scheduled Castes (SC) population and bring them above the poverty line.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Scheduled Castes persons living below the poverty line are eligible for benefits under this scheme.
• Villages with 50% or more SC population qualify for grants under the scheme for infrastructure development.

Implementation Components (Since 2021-22):

• Development of SC Dominated Villages into an ‘Adarsh Gram’:
  • Aims at transforming villages with a significant SC population into model villages.
• Grants-in-Aid for District/State-level Projects:
  • Supports socio-economic betterment projects for SCs at the district and state levels.
• Construction of Hostels in Higher Educational Institutions:
  • Focuses on building hostels to facilitate higher education for SC students.

Implementation Period:

• Implemented since 2021-22 with a multi-component approach.

Overall Goal:

• The scheme strives for the holistic development of Scheduled Castes, fostering economic empowerment, skill enhancement, and improved infrastructure.

Sahitya Akademi Award 2023: Celebrating Literary Excellence

Context:

The Sahitya Akademi has recently announced the Sahitya Akademi Award 2023 in 24 languages.

Relevance:

Facts for Prelims

Key Points

• A total of nine poetry books, six novels, five short story collections, three essays, and one literary study have been honored with the prestigious award.
• The award is presented in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 for each awardee.

Sahitya Akademi Award: Recognizing Literary Excellence

Establishment:

• The Sahitya Akademi Award was established in 1954, serving as a prestigious literary honour.

Conferred by Sahitya Akademi:

• Awarded annually by Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters.

Number of Awards:

• Sahitya Akademi confers 24 awards each year for literary works in recognized languages and an additional 24 awards for literary translations.

Recognized Languages:

• Apart from the 22 languages mentioned in the Constitution of India, English and Rajasthani are also recognized for the Sahitya Akademi awards.

Significance:

• The Sahitya Akademi Award is the second-highest literary honour by the Government of India, following the Jnanpith award.

Criteria for Awardee Selection:

• The author must be of Indian nationality.
• The eligible book or work should be an outstanding contribution to the language and literature it represents.
• In cases of equal merit, additional factors such as the total literary contribution and standing of authors are considered for declaring the award.

Other Sahitya Akademi Awards:

• Bal Sahitya Puraskar:
  • Recognizes an author’s total contribution to children’s literature, focusing on books published in the five years preceding the award year.
• Yuva Puraskar:
  • Pertains to books published by an author aged 35 and below, showcasing emerging talent in the literary field.