Best Practices Key to Accelerating Development in Aspirational Districts

Rohit Kumar, Additional Secretary at NITI Aayog and Mission Director, has said that exchanging best practices across the country is crucial to accelerate development in aspirational districts and blocks.

Addressing the Regional Best Practices Seminar (South) under the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme on Monday, he said that healthy competition among districts plays a key role in achieving faster results.

Mr. Kumar described the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as an important instrument for rural development. The initiative identifies districts and blocks that are lagging and sets targets across sectors such as health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and skill development. The programme was launched when Prime Minister Narendra Modi served as Gujarat Chief Minister and later expanded under the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP).

The scheme follows a “3C” model—Convergence, Collaboration, and Competition—coordinated by the central and state governments along with local bodies. Innovation funds of ₹4–5 crore for districts and ₹2–3 crore for blocks support locally tailored projects.

Highlighting success stories, Mr. Kumar pointed to the rise in drinking water facilities at Andhra Pradesh Anganwadi centres from 3.7% to 100%, nutrition improvements in Tamil Nadu, and education initiatives in Telangana. Other notable interventions include malaria control in Parvathipuram Manyam, maternal health services in Karnataka, mental health programmes in Kerala, and TB control in Tamil Nadu. He urged other districts to replicate these practices.

Deputy Secretary Gaurav Katiyar said that ADP and ABP are crucial for the last-mile delivery of public services. Andhra Pradesh Planning Department Joint Secretary Ananth Shankar added that these programmes form a core part of the state’s development roadmap and its “Swarna Andhra@2047” vision, which aims to raise the state’s GSDP to $2.4 trillion and per capita income to $42,000 by 2047.

Officials from Alluri Sitaramaraju, NTR, Kadapa, and Kurnool districts showcased initiatives ranging from tribal education and skill development to Smart Kitchen schemes. The two-day seminar offered a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration among southern states to promote inclusive development.