Tiriyani Block of Kumuram Bheem  Asifabad district, Telangana secured the top position in the first delta rankings of Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) announced by NITI Aayog today. The second position was bagged by Kaushambi block of Kaushambi District, Uttar Pradesh. The rankings were announced in a virtual event at NITI Aayog which saw participation of 329 districts and 500 aspirational blocks from across the country.

The ranking of the blocks has been calculated on the basis of performance of blocks and progress achieved in the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the month of June, 2023. Ranking the blocks based on KPIs is a core strategy of the Programme based on the spirit of competitive and cooperative federalism. This is the first time that the ranking of blocks has been calculated as part of the Aspirational Blocks Programme.

In addition to ABP, the ADP rankings were also announced for the month of October, 2023 which saw Rayagada (Odisha) and Jamui (Bihar) achieving the first and second ranks respectively. The top rankers in the thematic and overall categories of ADP were felicitated.

In a novel initiative, the top rankers of ABP and ADP will be displayed on the Wall Fall made at NITI Aayog. It will showcase the endeavours and projects undertaken by the Aspirational Blocks and Districts in order to improve their indicators and hence achieve appreciable progress. Hon’ble Vice Chairman along with Hon’ble Members of NITI Aayog inaugurated the Wall of Fame. The Wall of fame highlights the key milestones of Aspirational Blocks Programme and Aspirational Districts Programme with a vision to create Viksit Bharat by 2047. It celebrates the achievements of the best performing Aspirational Blocks and Aspirational Districts in the country. The Wall of Fame will also showcase the story of social impact created by Aspirational Blocks Programme and Aspirational Districts Programme in empowering, uplifting, and transforming lives.

The blocks have also been geographically divided into six zones and two blocks from each zone have been given rankings. In Zone 1 which includes hilly and North-eastern States as well as Islands, the first and second position went to Amri block, West Karbi Anglong, Assam and Ngopa block, Saitual Mizoram. In Zone 2 which includes the northern Indian states, Harraiya block, Basti, Uttar Pradesh and Virno block, Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh achieved the first and second spot. In Zone 3 comprising of southern states, Maski block, Raichur, Karnataka and Narnoor, Adilabad, Telangana were declared the top rankers. In Western Indian states which comprises of Zone 4, Sironcha  and Aheri blocks in Gadhichiroli district, Maharashtra emerged winners. Central India under Zone 5 saw Tirla block of Dhar district and Pati block of Barwani District, both in Madhya Pradesh as winners. Eastern India included in Zone 6 saw Andar, Siwan, Bihar and Ramgarh in Dumka, Jharkhand as the top rankers. The winners will be felicitated with a prize amount of Rs. 1.5 crores for top rank and Rs. 1 crores for second rank in all zonal categories.

The Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) was launched on January 7, 2023. ABP focuses on improving governance to enhance the quality of life of citizens in the most difficult and relatively underdeveloped blocks of India. 500 blocks from 329 districts across 27 states and 4 Union Territories of India are part of the programme. The Programme strategy is based on convergence of existing schemes, defining outcomes, and monitoring them on a constant basis.

In consultation with various stakeholders, 40 key performance indicators (KPIs) were chosen to measure progress of the blocks which have been grouped into 5 themes. The baseline data of March 31, 2023 and of the first quarter on June 30, 2023 of 500 Aspirational Blocks was sourced through Management Information System of 11 ministries. The 1st Delta rank has been calculated on the basis of improvement made in the first quarter.

The event was chaired by Shri Suman Bery, Hon’ble Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog. Members NITI Aayog, Prof. Ramesh Chand, Dr. V.K. Paul and Dr. Arvind Virmani and CEO NITI Aayog, Shri BVR Subrahmanyam also graced the event.

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