Aspirational Districts Programme

NITI Aayog has identified 112 Aspirational Districts (AD) across 27 states based on composite indicators from Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure that have an impact on HDI.

The Government of India launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative in January 2018 with a vision of a New India.

The government is dedicated to raising citizens’ living standards and ensuring inclusive growth for all through  “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas.”

This programme focuses on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the vibrant economy in order to maximise their potential.

The objective of the program is to monitor the real-time progress of aspirational districts based on 49 indicators (81 data-points) from the five identified thematic areas.

Aspirational Districts Programme: Strategy

ADP’s theory of change is based on three pillars, popularly known as the 3Cs:

• Convergence: which is based on the synthesis of various government schemes and authorities (state, district, and block level), and
• Collaboration: which focuses on partnerships between civil society organisations, philanthropies, and government to achieve the targets.
• Competition: which is expected to foster competition and accountability among district governments to achieve development goals.

Aspirational Districts Programme: Parameters

This programme focuses on each district’s strengths, identifying low-hanging fruit for immediate improvement and measuring progress by ranking districts monthly. The ranking is based on incremental progress across five broad socioeconomic themes:

Table: Sectors, weightage and areas of focus (Data source: UNDP Aspirational districts programme: An appraisal)

Aspirational Districts Programme:Performance

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India released an independent appraisal report on the Aspirational Districts Programme in June 2021, capturing the significance of these indicators as well as the vibrant success stories and best practices resonating across the country.

Since 2018, the average percentage of improvement has been 20%, with the best district improving by 35%.

Health and Nutrition:

• Top health and nutrition districts have reached 90% from a low baseline.
• Since its inception, the percentage of institutional delivery has more than doubled.
• In most districts, child immunisation rates have reached 80% or higher.
• Nearly hundred districts report less than 5% in severe acute malnutrition (SAM) cases against baseline figure of 10%.
• Pregnant women’s nutrition is generally good, but many states have already reached saturation.

Education outcomes:

• In most districts, the transition rate from primary to upper primary and then to secondary level is approaching saturation.
• For example: Gyanodaya app and Rath in Jharkhand’s Godda district aim to promote digital learning by converting the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) Board’s approved syllabus into smart classes format for over 260 schools and over 70,000 students.
• According to officials, this initiative was the primary reason for the district’s significant improvement in the delta rankings.

Agriculture and water resources:

• District administrations have prioritised irrigation facilities, yield, and farmer education.
• Several novel approaches have been taken to establish market links for products indigenous to aspirational districts, for example, farmers in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, were encouraged to grow fertiliser-free organic black rice.
• The experiment was a huge success, with Chandauli contributing to the thriving global black rice market and exporting to countries like Australia and New Zealand.
• Districts such as Goalpara in Assam have used technology to create a digital platform called ‘Goalmart’ that allows local producers to sell their products online rather than in physical market spaces.

Fundamental Infrastructure:

• There is significant progress, particularly in left wing extremism affected districts.
• Under the programmes, a better connectivity and seamless movement from rural to urban areas has been seen; for example, Bijapur in Chhattisgarh and Malkangiri in Odisha have greatly improved their roadway networks and accelerated infrastructure projects in their jurisdiction.
• Under the PMGSY scheme, the Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh has achieved 100% household electricity and 90% road connectivity.

Financial Inclusion and Skill Development:

• Progress in these sectors is slow because there are no dedicated departments for the two sectors at the district level.
• Despite the training provided, there is a lack of supplementary factors such as a lack of market demand for skills or a lack of suitable employment opportunities at appropriate industries within a district in the case of skill development.
• Some of the developments are installation of Micro-ATMs in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district to assist women self-help group members with financial assistance. On each transaction, they are compensated with a commission.

Aspirational Districts Programme: Challenges

Disparities among sectors: While the Aspirational Districts programme has helped to strengthen critical sectors such as healthcare and education, those with a lower weightage require more attention and improvement.

Disparities among districts: One of the disadvantages of Aspirational Districts has been the disparities between districts, which prevents fair competition and comparisons.

Data discrepancies and adverse effects of competition: The start of ADP brought with it a few monitoring and data collection challenges, one of which is the discrepancy in data collected and recorded.

Lack of human resources: One of the major issues raised across districts, regardless of performance, has been a lack of human resources and technical capacities at the district and block levels.

Aspirational Blocks Programme is on the line of the Aspirational Districts Programme, which was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23. Initially, the programme will cover 500 districts across 31 states and union territories. More than half of these blocks are in six states: Uttar Pradesh (68 blocks), Bihar (61 blocks), Madhya Pradesh (42 blocks), Jharkhand (34 blocks), Odisha (29) and West Bengal (29). However, states can add more blocks to the programme later.

Aspirational Districts Programme: A way ahead

• As per UNDP appraisal of the Aspirational Districts Programme, a restructuring of the sectors is advised. This includes incorporating subjects like gender and environment into the program’s agenda.
• To address the issues of disparities among districts, districts could be grouped together and supported based on their shared characteristics.
• Discussions with various stakeholders have highlighted the need for revised indicators, as well as a reduced emphasis on a competitive approach, as both are likely to result in data misreporting by districts. Aside from that, additional training and learning programmes are required.
• Given the disparities in sectors, districts, and capacities, expanding collaboration with different organisations may provide districts with the immediate and necessary support. This is especially important for districts located in remote and difficult areas.
• Even though districts have received support from the Prabhari officers and NITI Aayog, there is still a need for capacity building at the grassroots level. This can be addressed by assigning dedicated personnel to districts, such as Aspirational District Fellows or programme representatives.
• This would increase accountability and ownership for the programme while also assisting DMs and DOs, who are already tasked with multiple responsibilities. Adopting more flexible hiring methods is also suggested as a potential solution for increasing capacity.