- Why in news
- On 30 July 2026, the Minister of State for Tribal Affairs told the Lok Sabha how DAJGUA is monitored and gave State-wise coverage figures for districts, blocks, villages and ST households.
- What it is
- Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan is a Ministry of Tribal Affairs scheme to improve social infrastructure, economic opportunity and living conditions in tribal-majority villages. It works through convergence with the programmes of many line ministries, rather than by creating a separate set of services.
- Nodal ministry
- The Ministry of Tribal Affairs runs the scheme and holds inter-ministerial and coordination meetings with line ministries.
- Monitoring set-up
- A Project Management Unit (PMU) is provided for monitoring and implementation of the scheme.
- Technology-enabled tracking
- The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework uses the PM GatiShakti Portal to track progress in real time.
- Community engagement
- The Ministry encourages community involvement through the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan.
Don’t confuse with DAJGUA vs Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan: DAJGUA is the village development scheme. Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan is a related initiative that builds community engagement and grassroots leadership.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Convergence across ministries can fill gaps in basic services in tribal villages.
Problems
- Coordination between many line ministries and State agencies is hard to sustain.
Way forward
- Use real-time monitoring data to find lagging villages and fix them quickly.
Put in your answer
Real-time monitoring: DAJGUA monitoring uses the PM GatiShakti Portal, an example of technology-enabled scheme tracking.
- 2020Mains GS4 · Q9Ethical dilemma on tribal backwardness and welfare programmes' inadequate benefits.
- 2026Mains GS2 · Q6Whether India's tribal development policy reflects socially grounded, equity-based governance aspirations.
- 2018Mains GS1 · Q17Core strategies for aspirational districts; convergence, collaboration, competition explained.
- 2021Prelims Q84Which ministry is nodal agency for Forest Rights Act implementation nationally?
- 2022Prelims Q73Consequence of bringing an area under the Fifth Schedule.
- 2023Prelims Q39Statements on notification and administration of Scheduled Areas in India.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Tribal saturation scheme linked to PM Gati Shakti monitoring and Adi Karmayogi. Scheme card; no fresh decision to test.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.