IANS | 27 Mar, 2024
The Aspirational Districts Programme, one of the flagship schemes of
Narendra Modi-led government launched in 2018, is bringing
tranformational change in people's lives across 112 districts of the
country.
The ground-breaking scheme was launched to improve economic
indicators in specific districts, with low progress in key social areas
and also to bring them at a level-playing field.
Over past five
to six years, the programme plugged the loopholes in governance and
bridged the developmental gaps, thus benefitting crores of people living
in these districts.
Though all states have different proportions
of aspirational districts, some of them with maximum numbers are Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand in north, Assam in east and Andhra Pradesh in
south.
To make the programme more effective and result-oriented on
ground, Aspirational Blocks programme was launched in 2022 to expedite
the progress on ground level.
Taking first-hand account of some of
these aspirational blocks, one gets to see exemplary progress on
various economic indicators.
In Kotwali block of Uttar Pradesh,
Nagina has risen to national and global prominence because of its wide
range of handicrafts and artifacts. The district categorised under the
One District-One Product (OPOD) programme has seen instrumental growth
in past few years. The common facility centres here are providing
financial help to locals to start their own enterprise.
As per
official records, more than 97 per cent of villages have been declared
"defecation-free" while 98 per cent households have been constructed
under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).
Self-help groups
have also benefitted from Narendra Modi-led government's push for "Vocal
for Local" and locals are being mobilised for becoming a 'partner in
growth'.
In Assam, the Mandia block has undergone transformational
change over past few years, particularly in access to clean tap water
to households. More than 80 per cent houses in the region have access to
clean tap water. The Jal Jeevan Mission has shown remarkable
penetration in remote locations, courtesy 'Jal Mitras' appointed by the
local administration.
Water treatment plants have been a huge
success here. 'Jal Mitras' keep a check on water quality and ensure the
uninterrupted supply of drinking water to residents of the block.
Jharkhand's
Dumri block has shown remarkable progress in health and nutrition
sector, being its best performing economic indicator.
Dumri
block, which falls under aspirational district Gumla, the emphasis on
tackling malnutrition in children and improving their health with
nutritious food has yielded exemplary results.
The government
centres, via its paramedics, are also providing medical advice to
pregnant women for giving birth to healthy infants.
In
Chattishgarh's Orchha block, the 'pashu palan' programme and thrust on
agriculture is yielding exemplary results. A wide-scale programme for
vaccinating pet animals was launched here and it has turned pivotal in
tackling foot and mouth disease in animals, said one of the veterinary
expert.
Andhra Pradesh's Maddikera East has carved a name for
itself in imparting high quality education in rural areas and setting up
good educational infrastructure in the region. The aspirational
district of Andhra Pradesh has also lived up to the promise in the girl
child marriage area as well.
Notably, during the launch of
Aspirational Districts Programme on January 5, 2018, Prime Minister Modi
had said, "We need to identify existing aspirations in the districts
and channelise them to create a ripple effect for transforming
aspirational districts."
The success stories of these aspirational
districts and aspirational blocks indeed shows government's commitment
and vision for ensuring last-mile delivery of services.