Aspirational Districts and Blocks programme transforming lives of crores of people across 112 districts

New Delhi: 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.