Gandhinagar: Gujarat govt has set up a dedicated state-level project management unit (PMU) to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the centre’s Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), aimed at the socio-economic empowerment of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities.The move follows guidelines issued by the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment in June and is intended to strengthen coordination, monitoring and evaluation of schemes implemented under PM-AJAY.The PMU will comprise a state social justice lead and state social justice coordinators, as prescribed under the Centre’s guidelines. It will track the progress of activities under the scheme, coordinate among departments and undertake systematic evaluation of implementation.The state govt has also constituted a committee to oversee the selection and appointment of personnel for the PMU. The committee will comprise a secretary-level officer from the social justice and empowerment department, an officer from the scheduled caste welfare department and a representative of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment.An official statement said the dedicated mechanism was expected to help identify implementation gaps, improve inter-departmental coordination and facilitate timely corrective measures.
