Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads India with the determination to treasure and capitalize on unity in diversity and create a developed Bharat @2047 that is second to none and uniquely positioned globally. He has often affirmed during his address to the nation that he aims to shape a Bharat with the support of 140 crore Indians steeped in social justice so that our future generations do not have to struggle for small things and no one is left behind.
In 2014, many nation regions lagged in development even after many decades of Independence. While many of the nation’s hundreds of districts continued to advance, the less developed districts continued to regress. In order to bridge this gap, the Aspirational Districts Program (ADP) was launched on January 5, 2018. ADP is ‘aligned to the approach of “leave no one behind”—the vital core of the Sustainable Development Goals. Certain districts have been designated as “Aspirational Districts” by NITI Aayog. These districts were chosen using a composite measure that takes into account published deprivation data from the Socio-Economic Caste Census, Basic Infrastructure, Health, Nutrition, Education, Agriculture, Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development.
The States are the primary forces behind the Aspirational Districts Programme. NITI Aayog serves as the program’s anchor at the Government of India level. District plans are created using a broad framework created by NITI Aayog. District Administration receives a primer outlining actions to be followed to enhance each of the indicators developed based on input from the relevant ministries. Districts are urged to modify the template because every district faces unique opportunities and difficulties. They have been specifically instructed to recognise low-hanging fruits and opportunities and develop a plan of action to take advantage of them.
With a transparent process, the Transformation of Aspirational Districts Program seeks to quickly and transparently transform 112 districts selected from 28 states. The three main components of the program are district collector competition, district and central “Prabhari” officers’ cooperation, and the convergence of central and state schemes. This project, which is mostly driven by the States and implemented for the benefit of the States, ranks the chosen districts based on progress made, highlights the positive aspects of each district, and determines the feasible goals for immediate improvement.
Over the past decade, the Central Government’s initiative to improve the district’s economic and social development status and scale up the bureaucracy’s efficiency has yielded tangible results. Postings in aspirational areas are no longer considered inferior by civil servants. The Aspirational Districts (ADs) have outperformed non-ADs, according to a comparison with their counterparts. In the areas of health, nutrition, and financial inclusion, 5.8% more pregnant women with severe anaemia received treatment; 4.8% more children with diarrhoea diagnoses received treatment; 4.5% more pregnant women enrolled in antenatal care during their first trimester; 9.6% more home deliveries got attended by a skilled birth attendant.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantra Suraksha Bima Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, there were 406 and 847 more enrolments, and 1580 more accounts opened per 1 lakh population, respectively than the non-ADs. Additionally, the UNDP research suggests the “Malaria Mukt Bastar Abhiyaan” in Dantewada and Bijapur has decreased malaria incidences by 54% and 71%, respectively.
“In the first term, we kept filling the potholes of the previous governments, in the second term we laid the foundation of a new India, in the third term we will accelerate the development of a Viksit Bharat.”
The success of the Aspirational Districts Programme forms the basis of the Aspirational Blocks Programme. At the block level, the Aspirational Blocks Program aims to improve the quality of life for its residents, raise the standard of living and strengthen governance in 500 Aspirational Blocks, which cover 329 districts in India. Encouraging a new governance mindset, a new culture of facilitating government services at citizen doorsteps and community participation, “Chintan Shivirs” were arranged at the village and block levels to assist in the effective implementation of the Aspirational Block Program (ABP) to create strong block development strategies. In this regard, “Sankalp Saptaah” were observed in all 500 aspirational blocks starting from September 2023.
The Aspirational Districts Program demonstrates that when a government sets goals and encourages a progressive work culture, amazing things happen on the ground. Due to collaborative efforts inside the districts, the aspirational districts are developing faster than the national average. United Nations Development Program (UNDP) hails India’s Aspirational District Program (ADP) as a fantastic example of local area development. Other countries that have fallen behind in their growth are recommended to embrace this approach adopted by the Modi government.
