As part of Union Government’s special outreach Programme to get first hand appraisal of various developmental parameters, Union Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State (IC) Ministry of Earth Science; MoS of Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh today chaired a meeting at Dak Bungalow, Baramulla in J&K and reviewed progress of work being carried out under the Aspirational District Programme (ADP).

Speaking on the occasion Union Minister said that Central Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all. He said that ADP closely focuses on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the developmental economy.

The minister said that the areas such as PM Fasal Bima Yojana, electronic National Agriculture Market, Bharat Net facility in each Panchayat, financial inclusion shall be some of the aspects to be addressed under ADP.

Deliberating on the mechanism of the programme Dr. Singh said that the districts are 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.

Praising the work done in Baramulla under ADP, he said that by means of aspirational district there is contribution at different levels of work culture, social culture and behavioural culture to achieve the standard prescribed benchmark. He praised the utility of the model and said that it is based on a scientific approach which has the scope of dynamic real-time evaluation.

He said that government is committed to take Baramulla to the maximum of its potential in sustainable development and economic growth with proper follow-ups from time to time. Praising the biodiversity of the district he said that Baramulla is one of the oldest districts of J&K with huge forest reserves. He expressed his view of organising biotechnology workshops in the region to make people aware about the technological innovation for effective cost and time management.

After taking a comprehensive review of different parameters which have contributed to making Baramulla as one among the aspirational districts of India, Dr. Singh lauded the role of district administration for its efforts in achievements under ADP. He also directed the concerned officers to work with utmost dedication in order to be amongst the top in the ranks of the Programme.

Meanwhile various issues hampering the path of overall progress were thoroughly discussed in the meeting which the minster assured shall be taken into consideration for their timely resolution. Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and other officials of the district administration were also present in the meeting.

Noteworthy to mention that Centre has directed Union Ministers to visit different aspirational districts for official appraisal of the ground level assessment of the initiative. Launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018, ADP aims to quickly and effectively transform under-developed districts across the country. The broad outline of the programme includes Convergence, Collaboration and Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking, all driven by a mass movement.

Another focus of the programme is to further dive into the progress at the block-level within each district. The districts are encouraged to monitor the progress of the blocks that lead to the overall improvement of the district. ADP essentially is aimed at localizing Sustainable Development Goals, leading to the progress of the nation.

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