Aspirational Block Programme

Aspirational Block Programme

News: Prime Minister Modi on Saturday launched the government’s Aspirational Block Programme (ABP), which is aimed at improving performance of blocks lagging on various development parameters. 
• The ABP was launched during the 2nd National Conference of Chief Secretaries, which was held on January 5-7.

About:
• The Aspirational Blocks Programme is on the lines of the Aspirational District Programme that was launched in 2018 and covers 112 districts across the country.
• Announced in the Union Budget 2022-23, the ABP will initially cover 500 districts across 31 states and Union Territories, with over half of these blocks located in six states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.

What is the Aspirational District Programme?
• It was launched in 2018 which aims to transform districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas.
• Aspirational Districts are those districts in India, that are affected by poor socio-economic indicators.
• At Government of India level, programme is anchored by NITI Aayog. In addition, individual Ministries have assumed responsibility to drive progress of districts.
• The components of Aspirational District Programme include - Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors) and Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking.
• The delta ranking of the Aspirational Districts combines the innovative use of data with pragmatic administration, keeping the district at the locus of inclusive development. 
• It focuses on the strength of each district, identifying low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement and measuring progress by ranking districts on a monthly basis.
• Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.

What are the parameters for ranking Aspirational Districts?
• The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic themes -
• Health & Nutrition (30%), Education (30%), Agriculture & Water Resources (20%), Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%) and Infrastructure (10%).