Aspirational District Programme

WHY IN NEWS:

• In an independent appraisal report released on 11^th June 2021, UNDP India has lauded the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) as ‘a very successful model of local area development’ that ‘should serve as a best practice for several other countries where regional disparities in development status persist for many reasons’.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME:

• The Government has launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative in January, 2018 with a vision of a New India by 2022 where the focus is to improve India's ranking under Human Development Index, raising living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth of all.
• A total of 117 Aspirational districts have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite indicators from Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure which have an impact on Human development Index.
• A minimum of one district was chosen from every State.
• These districts account for more than 20% of the country’s population and cover over 8,600 gram panchayats.
• The three core principles of the programme are:
  • Convergence of Central & State Schemes which brings together the horizontal and vertical tiers of the government.
  • Collaboration among citizens and functionaries of Central & State Governments, including district teams. This will enable impactful partnerships between government, market, and civil society.
  • Competition among districts driven by a spirit of the mass movement.
• Each district is ranked based on 49 performance indicators identified across the 5 core themes. This includes
  • Health & Nutrition (30% weightage)
  • Education (30% weightage)
  • Agriculture and Water Resources (20% weightage)
  • Financial Inclusion and Skill Development (10%)
  • Basic Infrastructure (10%)
• The delta ranking of the Aspirational Districts combines the innovative use of data with pragmatic administration.
  • The programme ranks districts based on the improvement achieved month-on-month through the ‘Champions of Change’ dashboard (An online Dashboard).
• There is no financial package or large allocation of funds to this programme.
• The intent is to leverage the resources of the several government programmes that already exist but are not always used efficiently.

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND CORE STRATEGY

• Framework:
  • NITI Aayog anchors the program at the central level while individual ministries have been responsible to drive progress in districts
  • States are the main drivers of the program
  • For each district, a central Prabhari officer has been nominated. He/she should possess the rank of joint secretary/additional secretary.
• Core Strategy of the programme:
  • Work on the strength of each district.
  • Make development a mass movement in these districts.
  • Identify low-hanging fruits and the strength of each district which can act as a catalyst for development.
  • Measure progress and rank districts to spur a sense of competition.
  • Districts shall aspire from becoming State’s best to Nation’s best.

BENEFITS:

• Decentralization of development:
  • ADP focuses on outcomes that enable local experimentation based on a firm appreciation of ground realities.
• Deepens cooperative federalism:
  • States and Union Ministries have been responsible for the implementation of the programme with NITI Aayog acting as an anchor >> enables collaboration of state and central machinery for the common objectives >> hence boost cooperative federalism
• Ensures competitive federalism:
  • This programme takes the principle of competitive federalism down to district administrations.
  • Each district will be ranked on the focus areas which are disaggregated into easily quantifiable target areas.
  • So as not to bias the rankings on historical achievements or lack of them, the rankings will be based on deltas or improvements. The rankings will be publicly available.
• Ensures private participation:
  • India’s long history of a dominant state apparatus has led to an entrenched perception that government is the sole actor capable of and responsible for the transformation of India.
  • The ADP has opened its door to civil society and leveraged the tool of corporate social responsibility to form partnerships which will bring new ideas and fresh energy with boots on the ground from non-government institutions to join the “official” efforts.
  • The force multiplier on outcomes from such participation is potentially massive.
• A decisive shift in the paradigm of governance:
  • The programme envisages a serious re-imagination of government and governance
  • ADP is informed by the failures of the past and therefore has a more contemporary vision of how public services are best delivered to those who need them most.
• Use of smart data:
  • One area the programme gives serious attention is the collection of quality data on a real-time basis.
  • Too often in India, data collection is delayed or lacking in quality which ends up leading to policymakers shooting in the dark.
  • With continuously updated data dashboards, those running the programme on the ground can alter strategies after accurate feedback.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Enables localization of the Sustainable Development Goals
  • UNDP in its report titled ‘Aspirational Districts Programme: An Appraisal’ >> calls the program a global example of leveraging local structures of governance and bureaucracy.
  • The report applauds the multi-stakeholder partnership for ensuring localization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • UNDP marks the Aspirational Districts Program as a model replicable program not just within India, but also on a global scale
• Development of backward regions:
  • The UNDP report said due to concerted efforts made under the ADP, previously neglected districts, including those in remote locations and those affected by Left Wing Extremism, ‘have experienced more growth and development in the last three years than ever before’
• Financial inclusion:
  • Micro-ATMs have been launched in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district to provide financial assistance to women self-help group members.
  • They are provided with commission-based income on every transaction.
• Effective tackling of Covid Pandemic:
  • According to the UNDP report, the aspirational districts have also admitted that the continued focus of the programme on health and nutrition has helped them in tackling the Covid crisis with greater resilience.
  • The unique collaborative nature of the programme to bring all stakeholders, including state and local governments, development partners, and citizens, together to achieve goals and targets is the key pillar that enabled district commissioners ‘to build a strong Covid-19 response’
• Agriculture and water resources:
  • District administrations have laid tremendous emphasis on improving irrigation facilities and yield, as well as farmer education.
  • Several innovative paths have been adopted to create market linkages for products indigenous to the aspirational districts.
  • The farmers of Chandauli, U.P were encouraged to grow fertiliser-free organic black rice.
  • The experiment was remarkably successful, with Chandauli adding to the thriving global market of black rice and exporting to even countries like Australia and New Zealand.
• Health and Nutrition:
  • Model anganwadi centres have been set up across districts to benefit women and children.
  • The number of institutional deliveries has increased, along with a dip registered in the rate of severe acute malnutrition in infants.

BEST PRACTICES FOUND IN ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS

• ‘GoalMart’:
  • It is an e-commerce portal launched by Assam’s Goalpara district administration
  • It aims to promote rural, ethnic and agrarian products of the district in the national and global markets.
  • The initiative has been particularly helpful duringthe Covid-19 lockdown as it released farmers and retailers from the clutches of brick-and-mortar shops
• ‘Malaria Mukt Bastar Abhiyaan’ in Bijapur and Dantewada
  • It has reduced malaria incidences in these districts by 71% and 54%, respectively
• Poshan App:
  • It has been developed for an aspirational district in Ranchi. It is a real-time data analytics digital platform.
  • It monitors bed occupancy, child-growth charts, and the inventory of every malnourishment treatment center in the district
• ‘Hamara Vidhyalaya’ model adopted in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh
  • This programme registered substantial improvement in learning outcomes and overall teaching practices.
  • Under this model, a school prabhari is appointed for each school in the district to ensure monitoring, assessment, and guidance.
  • The model makes use of an online platform called ‘Yathasarvam’ for improving the outcomes.

ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROGRAMME

• Shortcomings of delta Ranking:
  • It is largely focused on assessing quantity (that is, coverage of access) rather than quality.
  • For instance, timely delivery of textbooks in schools is part of the ranking index however very little weightage is given to the quality of education rendered in these districts.
• Budgetary constraints:
  • ADP is affected by the issue pertaining to insufficient budgetary resources. This sustains the lack of human resources and the dearth of technical capacities at the district and block levels.
• No relevant role to Panchayats:
  • Local bodies are in a unique position to understand complexities in a district. But the programme neglects relevance of local bodies in its implementation strategy.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Need to focus more on capacity building:
  • Including the appointment of dedicated personnel such as Aspirational District Fellows or Technical Support Units across all the districts or to collaborate with development partners for providing technical expertise, skills training, etc’.
• More funding to extremist affected districts:
  • The government must give greater funding to the districts, especially the LWE districts, which are plagued with the double burden of countering LWE activities and ensuring development.
• Difficulty in coordination:
  • The programme is implemented by multiple ministries which lead to a lack of coordination.
• Need for third party surveys to measure outcomes of ADP:
  • Independent surveys can be used to validate administrative data, this will help improve data quality.
• Financial autonomy to local governments should be provided:
  • Empowering local bodies with financial powers will helps in the better implementation of ADP.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. ‘Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is considered as a radical step because the exercise envisages a serious re-imagination of government and governance, and deepens cooperative federalism’. Discuss?