Ministry Of Social Justice And Empowerment (MoSJE) Schemes: Budget Allocation And Beneficiary Coverage 2026 – IMPRI Impact And Policy Research Institute

Policy Update
Khushi

Background

Social justice in India extends beyond income support to addressing the educational, economic and social disadvantages faced by historically marginalised and vulnerable communities. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) implements a wide range of schemes covering Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Backward Classes (EBCs), De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), senior citizens, transgender persons, sanitation workers, persons affected by substance abuse and other disadvantaged groups. The Ministry’s Annual Report 2025–26 lists major interventions across education, economic empowerment, skill development, rehabilitation, social protection and enforcement of protective legislation (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

The scale of these interventions is reflected in the Department’s budgetary framework. The 2025–26 Budget Estimate for all schemes of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment was ₹13,950.68 crore, compared with ₹13,343.81 crore in 2024–25 and ₹12,589.97 crore in 2023–24 (Press Information Bureau, 2026a).

The largest allocations within the SC-focused interventions include the Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students at ₹6,360 crore, PM-AJAY at ₹2,140 crore, the National Fellowship for SC Students at ₹212 crore, and the National Overseas Scholarship at ₹130 crore for 2025–26. For OBC, EBC and DNT communities, the Post-Matric Scholarship received ₹1,250 crore, while the broader PM-YASASVI framework brought together pre-matric, post-matric and top-class education interventions. (Press Information Bureau, 2026).

The range of interventions also shows that the Ministry’s approach is not confined to scholarships. The portfolio includes venture capital and credit support, skill development, livelihood assistance, senior-citizen welfare, drug-demand reduction, rehabilitation of transgender persons and persons engaged in begging, and mechanised sanitation. For example, PM-DAKSH provides skill-development training to SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs and Safai Karamcharis, while NAMASTE focuses on improving the safety and dignity of sanitation workers through mechanisation and safer sanitation practices (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

The recent data also suggests a growing emphasis on direct and monitored delivery. The Ministry has highlighted mechanisms such as Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Single Nodal Agency systems, digital platforms, regular monitoring, social audits and third-party evaluations to improve the utilisation and accountability of welfare expenditure (Press Information Bureau, 2026a).

The scale of this welfare architecture is also reflected in its budgetary allocations. The Ministry’s portfolio includes large allocations for educational support and economic empowerment, alongside more targeted allocations for senior citizens, sanitation workers, rehabilitation and other vulnerable groups. For example, the Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students received ₹6,360 crore, PM-AJAY ₹2,140 crore, PM-YASASVI ₹2,190 crore and the Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT Students ₹1,250 crore in the relevant budget year (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026). The variation in allocations provides an indication of the relative scale and policy priority attached to different interventions, although allocation alone does not determine implementation or impact. 

Against this backdrop, the MoSJE’s scheme portfolio raises a broader policy question: Is India’s social-justice architecture moving beyond traditional welfare towards education, skills, entrepreneurship and greater economic independence-or does the large number of schemes still create fragmentation in delivery and outcomes?

Key Schemes and Policy Initiatives 

Functioning

The MoSJE’s approach is not based on a single welfare programme. It operates through a portfolio of schemes and initiatives, with different interventions targeting specific forms of disadvantage. The schemes in the provided list can broadly be understood through four connected approaches: educational support, economic empowerment, social protection and rehabilitation, and institutional safeguards.

1. Educational support as the foundation of empowerment

A major part of the Ministry’s portfolio focuses on reducing financial barriers to education. For Scheduled Caste students, the list includes the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarships, Top Class Education, National Fellowship, National Overseas Scholarship, Free Coaching and Upgradation of Merit. For OBC, EBC and DNT students, the PM-YASASVI framework brings together pre-matric, post-matric and top-class education support, along with hostel assistance. The Ministry describes PM-YASASVI as an umbrella framework intended to provide educational support from school to higher education (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

The scale of this approach is significant. In 2025–26, more than 47.53 lakh Post-Matric Scholarships and 26.79 lakh Pre-Matric Scholarships for SC students were awarded through the relevant schemes, with delivery increasingly supported through Direct Benefit Transfer and online processing (Press Information Bureau, 2026).

2. Moving from assistance to economic empowerment

The Ministry’s portfolio also attempts to move beneficiaries from welfare dependence towards skills, credit and entrepreneurship. The list includes the Venture Capital Fund for Scheduled Castes, Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme, ASIIM, VISVAS and PM-DAKSH.

PM-DAKSH is particularly significant because it focuses on skill development and employability among SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs and Safai Karamcharis through empanelled training institutions. Its implementation is supported by specialised financial development corporations for different beneficiary groups (Press Information Bureau, 2026).

This represents an important shift in the policy approach: instead of providing only consumption-oriented assistance, some interventions attempt to create skills, access to finance and income-generating opportunities.

3. Targeted interventions for groups facing specific vulnerabilities

The Ministry also operates schemes that respond to disadvantages that cannot be addressed through scholarships or employment support alone.

For DNT communities, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) provides education, livelihood and other support. For senior citizens, the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) supports shelter, care and welfare services. The National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) combines prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, while the SMILE scheme provides rehabilitation and livelihood support to transgender persons and persons engaged in begging.

The Ministry’s official scheme catalogue reflects this wider approach, covering economic empowerment, social empowerment, skill development, rehabilitation and protection rather than treating social justice purely as a scholarship issue (Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

4. Addressing occupational and social vulnerabilities

Some interventions are designed around particularly vulnerable occupations and living conditions. The National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) seeks to improve the safety and dignity of sanitation workers by promoting mechanised cleaning and reducing hazardous sewer and septic-tank work.

Similarly, the centrally sponsored scheme for implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 provides a legal and institutional component to the Ministry’s social-justice framework. This means that the portfolio combines economic assistance with protection against discrimination and exploitation.

5. Monitoring and accountability as part of delivery

The Ministry’s portfolio also includes Information-Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA) and the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes (DAPSC). These initiatives are important because welfare delivery does not end with allocation of funds; it also requires monitoring whether resources reach intended beneficiaries and whether programmes are implemented effectively.

The Ministry’s recent reporting also highlights Direct Benefit Transfer, regular reviews and social audits as mechanisms for improving transparency and fund utilisation (Press Information Bureau, 2026).

Performance

The performance of the MoSJE’s schemes can be assessed through three broad indicators: financial allocation, beneficiary coverage and the expansion of delivery mechanisms. Since the schemes address very different forms of disadvantage, performance should not be judged only by the amount of money allocated. The more useful question is whether financial support is reaching the intended groups and whether delivery is becoming more transparent, targeted and outcome-oriented.

Financial allocation provides the first indicator of the scale at which different interventions are being implemented. The distribution of allocations shows that educational support for SC and OBC/EBC/DNT students accounts for a substantial share of the portfolio, while other schemes operate with comparatively smaller but targeted allocations. This suggests that the Ministry combines large-scale mass interventions, particularly scholarships, with smaller interventions focused on specific forms of vulnerability and economic empowerment (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026). 

1. Large-scale coverage through educational schemes

Educational empowerment remains one of the largest components of the Ministry’s portfolio. According to the Ministry’s reported data, during 2025–26, the Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students covered 61.71 lakh beneficiaries, while the Pre-Matric Scholarship covered 30.74 lakh beneficiaries as reported up to 30 November 2025. The Department reported ₹7,210.80 crore in releases under the Post-Matric Scholarship during this period (Press Information Bureau, 2025).

More recent data indicates that scholarship delivery continued to expand. In 2025–26, more than 47.53 lakh Post-Matric Scholarships and 26.79 lakh Pre-Matric Scholarships were awarded under the relevant SC scholarship schemes, with implementation through State Governments and Union Territory Administrations using Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) (Press Information Bureau, 2026a).

This suggests that educational schemes remain the largest-volume interventions within the Ministry’s portfolio and that digital delivery has increasingly become part of their implementation architecture.

2. Financial priority towards SC and OBC empowerment

The allocation pattern in the compiled MoSJE scheme list also shows substantial financial emphasis on educational and socio-economic empowerment. The Post-Matric Scholarship for SC Students carries an allocation of ₹6,360 crore, followed by PM-AJAY at ₹2,140 crore and the Post-Matric Scholarship for OBC, EBC and DNT Students at ₹1,250 crore for the financial year represented in the dataset.

The Ministry’s broader expenditure trend supports this emphasis. In FY 2025–26, ₹7,981.47 crore was reported as disbursed to more than 75 lakh SC beneficiaries, with increases in expenditure across several major scholarship programmes compared with 2024–25 (Press Information Bureau, 2026b).

The pattern indicates that education continues to receive the strongest financial emphasis, while schemes such as PM-AJAY, PM-DAKSH, VISVAS and entrepreneurship-oriented interventions attempt to extend support beyond education into livelihoods and economic participation.

3. Expansion beyond scholarships

Performance is not confined to the number of scholarship beneficiaries. Several schemes in the list demonstrate a broader shift towards skills, livelihoods and economic empowerment.

Under PM-DAKSH and related skill-development interventions, more than 2.08 lakh beneficiaries were trained during 2025, with funding support of ₹366.31 crore, according to the Department’s 2025 year-end review (Press Information Bureau, 2025).

Similarly, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) covered more than 1.10 lakh beneficiaries during 2025–26, with ₹53.06 crore released for implementation across education, healthcare, livelihood and related components (Press Information Bureau, 2026c).

These figures are important because they show that the Ministry’s performance cannot be measured only through conventional welfare transfers. There is increasing emphasis on building capabilities and livelihood opportunities among disadvantaged communities.

4. Reach of rehabilitation-oriented schemes

The Ministry has also recorded measurable implementation under schemes dealing with groups facing social and occupational vulnerabilities.

Under SMILE, the sub-scheme for rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging was operational in 181 selected cities as of January 2026. By 31 January 2026, 30,257 individuals had been identified and 8,129 had been rehabilitated. The transgender component of SMILE was also supporting 23 Garima Grehs across 17 States/UTs at that time (Press Information Bureau, 2026d).

Similarly, under NAMASTE, the Ministry reported that 19,492 sewer and septic-tank workers had been profiled, while 68,952 PPE kits had been supplied as part of efforts to improve occupational safety and dignity (Press Information Bureau, 2025).

These interventions demonstrate that the Ministry’s performance framework increasingly includes identification, rehabilitation, occupational safety and social reintegration, rather than merely financial assistance.

5. Increasing use of digital and monitored delivery

A significant performance improvement has been the greater use of DBT, online processing and monitoring mechanisms. The Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students introduced DBT from 2021–22, while the Pre-Matric Scholarship adopted DBT from 2022–23. The Ministry has linked these mechanisms with greater transparency and more efficient delivery (Press Information Bureau, 2026e).

The Department also has a dedicated Information-Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA) framework, covering monitoring, evaluation, social audits, a Central Smart Surveillance Unit and management information systems. Its responsibilities also include monitoring the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Castes and the Department’s output-outcome framework (Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026).

Thus, the performance of MoSJE schemes is increasingly being supported by digital payments, online systems, monitoring and social-audit mechanisms, although the existence of these mechanisms does not automatically establish better outcomes.

Overall assessment

The available evidence shows large beneficiary coverage, substantial financial commitment and increasingly technology-enabled delivery across the MoSJE portfolio. However, the figures also reveal an important limitation: coverage is easier to measure than empowerment. A scholarship can be counted, a training programme can report participants and a rehabilitation centre can report beneficiaries, but these numbers do not by themselves establish whether beneficiaries achieved sustained improvements in education, employment, income or social inclusion.

Therefore, the next stage of performance assessment should move from “how many beneficiaries were covered?” to “what changed for those beneficiaries?” This distinction becomes particularly important for a Ministry whose portfolio increasingly combines welfare assistance with entrepreneurship, skills, rehabilitation and social empowerment.

Impact

The impact of MoSJE schemes cannot be understood only through the number of beneficiaries covered or the amount allocated. Their broader significance lies in whether they improve access to education, economic opportunity, dignity, rehabilitation and participation in society. The available evidence suggests that some schemes are beginning to demonstrate such outcomes, although the strength of evidence varies considerably across programmes.

1. Education can translate welfare support into long-term mobility

Scholarship and educational-support schemes form the largest part of the Ministry’s portfolio. Their potential impact goes beyond immediate financial assistance because reducing the cost of education can improve the ability of disadvantaged students to remain in school and pursue higher education.

The PM-AJAY evaluation by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, found improvements in educational access and socio-economic conditions in Scheduled Caste-dominated areas. The evaluation also reported that access to hostels under the scheme contributed to higher continuation rates in higher secondary and college education, particularly among girls, by reducing problems such as long travel distances and unsafe journeys (Press Information Bureau, 2026a).

This illustrates an important distinction: the impact of a welfare scheme may arise not only from the financial benefit itself but from removing the practical barriers that prevent beneficiaries from using an opportunity.

2. Economic empowerment is becoming a wider policy objective

The Ministry’s portfolio increasingly moves beyond scholarships towards skills, credit, entrepreneurship and livelihoods. PM-DAKSH, for example, provides skill-development training to SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs and Safai Karamcharis through different implementing agencies (Press Information Bureau, 2026b).

Similarly, the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) combines education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and livelihood support. During 2025–26, more than 1.10 lakh beneficiaries were covered under its different components, with ₹53.06 crore released for implementation (Press Information Bureau, 2026c).

The broader implication is that social justice policy is gradually attempting to create capabilities and income opportunities, rather than treating beneficiaries only as recipients of financial assistance.

3. Rehabilitation can strengthen dignity and social inclusion

Some of the Ministry’s schemes target groups for whom conventional welfare measures may be insufficient. The SMILE scheme combines rehabilitation with healthcare, counselling, education, skill development and livelihood support for persons engaged in begging and transgender persons.

As of 31 January 2026, the beggary component had identified 30,257 individuals and rehabilitated 8,129, while 23 Garima Grehs were being supported across 17 States/UTs for transgender persons (Press Information Bureau, 2026d).

More recent evidence shows that the programme has continued to expand. By August 2026, 2,824 children had been identified, rescued and rehabilitated under the SMILE-related intervention; 1,549 were reunited with their families, 676 admitted to schools and 309 to Anganwadi centres (Press Information Bureau, 2026e).

This demonstrates that the impact of social-justice schemes can also be measured through reintegration into family, education and mainstream social institutions, rather than through financial indicators alone.

4. Assistive support can improve independent living

The impact of welfare interventions is particularly visible where assistance directly removes barriers to independent living. A 2026 third-party evaluation of the Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana found that assistive devices had a significant effect on the mobility and functional independence of eligible senior citizens, reducing their dependence on caregivers for everyday activities.

The same evaluation of the Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) reported positive outcomes in education, rehabilitation, assistive support and livelihood inclusion, along with improved social inclusion and beneficiary satisfaction (Press Information Bureau, 2026f).

This is important because it shows that social protection can have an enabling effect: providing an assistive device, rehabilitation service or accessible facility can increase a person’s ability to participate independently in economic and social life.

5. Occupational dignity is an important dimension of social justice

The NAMASTE scheme reflects another dimension of impact by addressing the occupational risks faced by sanitation workers. Its focus on mechanised sanitation, profiling of workers, protective equipment and safer working practices attempts to reduce dependence on hazardous manual cleaning.

The Ministry reported that 19,492 sewer and septic-tank workers had been profiled and 68,952 PPE kits supplied under the programme as part of the 2025 implementation efforts (Press Information Bureau, 2025).

The significance therefore extends beyond employment support: the objective is to connect livelihood with dignity, safety and occupational protection.

6. Digital delivery can improve transparency, but it is not the same as impact

The increasing use of DBT, online portals, monitoring systems and social audits has strengthened the delivery architecture of several schemes. For example, SC scholarship schemes are implemented through State Governments and UT Administrations using DBT, with the stated objective of making disbursement more timely, transparent and efficient (Press Information Bureau, 2026g).

The Department also has an I-MESA framework covering monitoring, evaluation, social audits, management information systems and output-outcome monitoring.

However, better digital delivery should not automatically be interpreted as better social outcomes. A payment reaching a beneficiary on time is an important delivery outcome, but the ultimate test is whether that support improves educational attainment, employment, income, dignity or quality of life.

The distribution of budgetary resources also highlights why financial allocation should not be treated as a direct measure of social impact. Large scholarship schemes naturally require greater expenditure because they cover millions of beneficiaries, while smaller programmes may serve fewer people but address highly specialised vulnerabilities. Therefore, assessing the Ministry’s impact requires considering budget allocation alongside beneficiary reach, outcomes and the depth of support provided (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, 2026). 

Emerging Issues

Despite the breadth of the MoSJE’s scheme portfolio and improvements in digital delivery, several issues remain relevant to the effectiveness of social-justice interventions. The central challenge is no longer only whether schemes exist, but whether they are sufficiently accessible, coordinated and capable of producing measurable improvements for beneficiaries.

1. Fragmentation across a large scheme portfolio

The Ministry’s portfolio covers a wide range of groups and needs – from scholarships and fellowships to entrepreneurship, rehabilitation, senior-citizen care and occupational safety. This breadth allows the government to respond to different forms of disadvantage, but it can also create fragmentation in implementation.

For example, educational assistance, skill development and credit support may address different stages of the same beneficiary’s economic journey, but their effectiveness can be reduced if these interventions operate independently. The policy challenge is therefore to improve convergence between complementary schemes rather than treating each intervention as a separate programme.

2. Coverage does not always mean adequate access

Large beneficiary numbers can demonstrate reach, but they do not necessarily establish that all eligible persons are being covered. This is particularly important for schemes that are demand-driven and open-ended, such as the Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students. The government itself has emphasised that the scheme is open to eligible students across recognised institutions and is intended to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio of SC students, particularly those from poorer households (Press Information Bureau, 2026a).

The continuing need for outreach, verification and corrective action suggests that awareness, documentation, application processes and institutional capacity remain important determinants of whether an eligible person actually receives a benefit.

3. Digitalisation can create a new form of exclusion

DBT and end-to-end online processing have improved transparency and reduced dependence on physical intermediaries. For example, SC scholarship schemes are now implemented through DBT, with more than 47.53 lakh Post-Matric and 26.79 lakh Pre-Matric scholarships awarded during 2025–26 according to the Ministry’s August 2026 update (Press Information Bureau, 2026b).

However, digital delivery also creates risks for beneficiaries who face difficulties with internet access, digital literacy, Aadhaar-linked banking, authentication or online application procedures. Therefore, digitalisation should complement—not completely replace—accessible offline assistance and grievance mechanisms.

4. The gap between expenditure and outcomes

A recurring challenge across welfare policy is distinguishing financial expenditure from actual social outcomes. Higher expenditure or greater beneficiary coverage does not automatically mean improved educational attainment, employment, income or social inclusion.

This is why the Ministry’s Information-Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA) framework is important. I-MESA includes information dissemination, project monitoring, a Central Smart Surveillance Unit, social audits and evaluation studies, with the stated objective of examining implementation at the ground level.

The policy challenge is to use these mechanisms not merely to verify whether funds were spent, but to establish what changed because the funds were spent.

5. Strengthening social audits and citizen accountability

The Ministry has moved towards institutionalising social audits across its schemes. The National Resource Centre for Social Audit was established to coordinate social audits, build the capacity of State Social Audit Units and provide technical assistance for implementation. The Department has stated that social audits are intended to improve transparency, accountability and programme delivery.

However, social audits will have greater value when their findings lead to corrective action. Merely conducting an audit is not sufficient; identified gaps in beneficiary selection, service quality or fund utilisation need to be tracked until they are resolved.

6. Uneven implementation across States and beneficiary groups

Many important MoSJE interventions are implemented with the involvement of State Governments, Union Territory Administrations and other agencies. This creates the possibility of differences in administrative capacity, verification systems, awareness campaigns and local implementation.

The recent experience of scholarship schemes illustrates this issue. The Ministry has continued to conduct reviews with States and UTs and take corrective measures to improve coverage and implementation—for example, regular reviews have been reported for PM-YASASVI implementation in Maharashtra (Press Information Bureau, 2026c).

This suggests that a centrally designed scheme can still produce different experiences for beneficiaries depending on local administrative capacity and delivery systems.

7. Need to strengthen the transition from welfare to empowerment

The scheme portfolio increasingly includes venture capital, credit guarantees, skill development, entrepreneurship and livelihood assistance alongside traditional scholarships and welfare support. This creates an opportunity to move from short-term assistance towards sustained economic independence.

However, the transition is not automatic. A person may receive training without obtaining employment, or access credit without developing a viable enterprise. Therefore, schemes such as PM-DAKSH, Venture Capital Fund for SCs, Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme and SEED require stronger measurement of outcomes such as employment retained, enterprise survival, income improvement and access to formal finance, rather than relying primarily on the number of beneficiaries trained or assisted.

8. The need for stronger convergence and longitudinal evaluation

The Ministry’s schemes often address interconnected disadvantages. A student may require a scholarship to remain in education, skills to enter employment and credit to establish an enterprise. Treating these as isolated interventions can make it difficult to understand their combined effect.

The Ministry’s own I-MESA framework recognises the need for evaluation and studies alongside monitoring and social audits.

A stronger approach would therefore track beneficiaries over time and examine whether support across multiple schemes produces sustained improvements in education, employment, income, living conditions and social inclusion.

Way Forward

1. Move from scheme-wise delivery to a beneficiary-centric approach

The Ministry’s large portfolio should increasingly be viewed as an interconnected system rather than as separate schemes. Where a beneficiary requires support at multiple stages – such as education, skill development, credit and livelihood – the Ministry and implementing agencies should strengthen convergence between relevant programmes. A beneficiary-centric approach can reduce duplication and help ensure that support continues beyond a single intervention.

2. Strengthen outcome-based monitoring

The Ministry should gradually move from measuring primarily inputs and outputs—such as funds released, beneficiaries covered and training completed – to measuring outcomes such as educational continuation, employment, income improvement, enterprise survival and quality of life. The existing Information-Monitoring, Evaluation and Social Audit (I-MESA) framework can be used more systematically for this purpose.

Each major scheme could have a small set of clearly defined outcome indicators and these should be published periodically. This would make it easier to identify which interventions are producing sustained improvements and which require redesign.

3. Make digital delivery inclusive by design

Digital platforms and DBT should continue to be expanded because they can improve transparency and reduce intermediary dependence. However, digitalisation should not become a barrier for beneficiaries with limited connectivity, digital literacy or difficulties with authentication and documentation.

The Ministry should therefore maintain assisted application centres, offline grievance channels and local facilitation mechanisms alongside online systems. Digital delivery should follow the principle of “digital by default, but not digital only.”

4. Strengthen social audits and grievance redressal

Social audits should move beyond identifying irregularities to ensuring that corrective action is actually completed. Findings should be publicly accessible, assigned to responsible authorities and followed up within defined timelines.

Similarly, grievance mechanisms should provide beneficiaries with a simple way to register, track and resolve complaints. This is particularly important for schemes where delays in scholarships, documentation or payments can directly affect education and livelihoods.

5. Build stronger State and local implementation capacity

Many MoSJE schemes depend on State Governments, UT Administrations, educational institutions and other implementing agencies. Differences in administrative capacity can therefore affect the actual experience of beneficiaries.

The Ministry should strengthen training, technical assistance, data-sharing and implementation reviews for States and local-level institutions. Capacity-building should focus not only on processing applications but also on beneficiary identification, outreach, grievance resolution and outcome monitoring.

6. Link skills and credit with actual livelihood outcomes

Schemes such as PM-DAKSH, the Venture Capital Fund for SCs, the Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme and SEED should increasingly be assessed as part of a common economic-empowerment pathway.

Training should be linked, wherever appropriate, with placement, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship support or access to formal credit. Similarly, credit-oriented interventions should track whether enterprises survive and generate sustainable income rather than measuring success only by the amount of credit facilitated.

7. Improve targeting without creating excessive exclusion

The Ministry should continue improving beneficiary identification and verification, but safeguards are necessary to ensure that documentation and authentication requirements do not unintentionally exclude vulnerable people.

Greater use of existing government databases can help identify eligible beneficiaries proactively, while human verification and appeal mechanisms should remain available where records are incomplete or incorrect.

8. Publish a unified social-justice outcomes dashboard

Given the number and diversity of schemes in the Ministry’s portfolio, a consolidated public dashboard could bring together information on allocations, beneficiaries, geographical coverage, fund utilisation, outcome indicators, social-audit findings and grievances resolved.

9. Budget allocation versus effective utilisation

A high budgetary allocation does not necessarily translate into proportionately higher social outcomes. Delays in fund release, beneficiary identification, State-level implementation capacity and utilisation of allocated resources can affect the actual reach of a scheme. The Ministry therefore needs to assess schemes not only through Budget Estimates and expenditure, but also through utilisation, beneficiary outcomes and independent evaluation.

Such a dashboard would make it easier for Parliament, researchers and citizens to compare schemes and identify implementation gaps. It would also shift public discussion from “how much was allocated?” to “what was achieved?”

References

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment – Annual Report 2025–26
Annual Reports — MoSJE

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment – Schemes
Official Schemes and Programmes — MoSJE

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment – Schemes / Programmes
Schemes / Programmes — MoSJE

PIB — Year-End Review 2025: Department of Social Justice and Empowerment
This is particularly useful for the beneficiary and expenditure figures used in your Performance section.
Year-End Review 2025 — Department of Social Justice and Empowerment

MoSJE — PM-DAKSH Yojana
Useful for the scheme’s objectives, target groups and skill-development framework.
PM-DAKSH — MoSJE

MoSJE — SMILE Scheme
Useful for the rehabilitation of transgender persons and persons engaged in begging.
SMILE — MoSJE

MoSJE — Information-Monitoring, Evaluation & Social Audit (I-MESA)
Useful for your Performance, Emerging Issues and Way Forward sections.
I-MESA — MoSJE

MoSJE — National Resource Centre for Social Audit (NRCSA)
Useful for the discussion on social audits, transparency and accountability.
National Resource Centre for Social Audit — MoSJE

MoSJE — Brief Overview of the Department
Useful for establishing the Ministry’s target groups and broad mandate.
Brief Overview — MoSJE

MoSJE — Laws, Policies & Schemes
Useful as a broader official reference for the Department’s policy and legislative framework.
Laws, Policies & Schemes — MoSJE

About the contributor

Khushi holds a Master’s degree in Sociology. She serves as a Research and Editorial Intern at IMPRI and has research interests in public policy, governance, digital transformation, and institutional reforms.

Acknowledgement

The author sincerely acknowledges the IMPRI team for their guidance, valuable feedback, and continuous support throughout the preparation of this Policy Update. 

Reviewers: Anushree Khare 

Disclaimer

This article is intended for academic purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IMPRI or any government.

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