Lok Sabha Question No. 4540 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Backward Districts
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4540

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## BACKWARD DISTRICTS

## †4540. SHRI MANSUKHBHAI DHANJIBHAI VASAVA:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has assessed the reasons and outcome of backwardness in tribal and rural districts of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, district and State-wise; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to eliminate the backwardness of the said districts?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) & (b):  Yes Sir, Government has identified 112 aspirational districts (including Tribal and  Rural  Districts)  remaining  backward  in  the  sectors  like;  Health  &  Nutrition, School  Education,  Agriculture  &  Water  Resources,  Financial  Inclusion  and  Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure, list of such 112 aspirational districts is placed at Annexure.
- (c)  Government is implementing Aspirational District Programme.  The broad strategy of the  Aspirational  District  Programme  rests  on  the  3  Cs  -  Convergence  (between Central and State Schemes), Collaboration (between Centre, State, District, Administration,  Development  Partners  and  Citizens)  and  Competition  (between Districts).    Every  month,  districts  are  ranked  on  basis  of  progress  made  and  this instills  them  with  a  sense  of  competition  which  results  in  rapid  improvement. Another  strategy  of  the  programme  is  nomination  of  Joint  Secretary/Additional Secretary level  officials  from  Government  of  India  as  Central  Prabhari  Officers  for each  of  the  district.    The  role  of  these  Prabhari  Officers  is  to  guide  the  district administration on basis of their long experience.

As the main strategy of the programme is based on convergence of existing schemes which  have  their  own  funding  arrangement,  infusion  of  additional  fund  is  not envisaged.    However,  in  order  to  foster  competitive  spirit,  and  for  addressing  the critical  gaps,  selected  Districts  are  given  some  additional  allocation  on  the  basis  of their performance every month, districts are assessed on the basis of monthly progress and the best performing District in overall terms and in each of the five sectors are identified.  The first and second rankers in overall terms are awarded Rs. 10 crores and  Rs.  5  crores  respectively.    The  first  ranker  from  each  of  the  five  sectors  is awarded Rs. 3 crores each.

*****

## Annexure

| State wise list of Aspirational Distrcits   | State wise list of Aspirational Distrcits   | State wise list of Aspirational Distrcits   |
|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| S.No.                                       | State                                       | District                                    |
| 1                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Chhatarpur                                  |
| 2                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Damoh                                       |
| 3                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Barwani                                     |
| 4                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Rajgarh                                     |
| 5                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Vidisha                                     |
| 6                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Guna                                        |
| 7                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Singrauli                                   |
| 8                                           | Madhya Pradesh                              | Khandwa                                     |
| 9                                           | Uttar Pradesh                               | Bahraich                                    |
| 10                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Shrawasti                                   |
| 11                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Balrampur                                   |
| 12                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Siddharthnagar                              |
| 13                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Chandauli                                   |
| 14                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Sonebhadra                                  |
| 15                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Chitrakoot                                  |
| 16                                          | Uttar Pradesh                               | Fatehpur                                    |
| 17                                          | Odisha                                      | Dhenkanal                                   |
| 18                                          | Odisha                                      | Gajapati                                    |
| 19                                          | Odisha                                      | Kandhamal                                   |
| 20                                          | Odisha                                      | Balangir                                    |
| 21                                          | Odisha                                      | Kalahandi                                   |
| 22                                          | Odisha                                      | Rayagada                                    |
| 23                                          | Odisha                                      | Koraput                                     |
| 24                                          | Odisha                                      | Malkangiri                                  |
| 25                                          | Odisha                                      | Nawarangpur                                 |
| 26                                          | Odisha                                      | Nuapada                                     |
| 27                                          | Punjab                                      | Moga                                        |
| 28                                          | Punjab                                      | Firozpur                                    |
| 29                                          | Himachal Pradesh                            | Chamba                                      |
| 30                                          | Uttarakhand                                 | Udham Singh Nagar                           |
| 31                                          | Uttarakhand                                 | Haridwar                                    |
| 32                                          | Andhra Pradesh                              | Vizianagaram                                |
| 33                                          | Andhra Pradesh                              | Visakhapatnam                               |
| 34                                          | Andhra Pradesh                              | Y.S.R. Kadapa                               |
| 35                                          | Haryana                                     | Mewat                                       |
| 36                                          | Jharkhand                                   | Garhwa                                      |

2

|   37 | Jharkhand      | Chatra              |
|------|----------------|---------------------|
|   38 | Jharkhand      | Giridih             |
|   39 | Jharkhand      | Godda               |
|   40 | Jharkhand      | Sahibganj           |
|   41 | Jharkhand      | Pakur               |
|   42 | Jharkhand      | Bokaro              |
|   43 | Jharkhand      | Lohardaga           |
|   44 | Jharkhand      | Purbi Singhbhum     |
|   45 | Jharkhand      | Palamu              |
|   46 | Jharkhand      | Latehar             |
|   47 | Jharkhand      | Hazaribagh          |
|   48 | Jharkhand      | Ramgarh             |
|   49 | Jharkhand      | Dumka               |
|   50 | Jharkhand      | Ranchi              |
|   51 | Jharkhand      | Khunti              |
|   52 | Jharkhand      | Gumla               |
|   53 | Jharkhand      | Simdega             |
|   54 | Jharkhand      | Pashchimi Singhbhum |
|   55 | Gujarat        | Dahod               |
|   56 | Gujarat        | Narmada             |
|   57 | Bihar          | Sitamarhi           |
|   58 | Bihar          | Araria              |
|   59 | Bihar          | Purnia              |
|   60 | Bihar          | Katihar             |
|   61 | Bihar          | Muzaffarpur         |
|   62 | Bihar          | Begusarai           |
|   63 | Bihar          | Khagaria            |
|   64 | Bihar          | Banka               |
|   65 | Bihar          | Sheikhpura          |
|   66 | Bihar          | Aurangabad          |
|   67 | Bihar          | Gaya                |
|   68 | Bihar          | Nawada              |
|   69 | Bihar          | Jamui               |
|   70 | Jammu &Kashmir | Kupwara             |
|   71 | Jammu &Kashmir | Baramula            |
|   72 | Kerala         | Wayanad             |
|   73 | Tamil Nadu     | Virudhunagar        |
|   74 | Tamil Nadu     | Ramanathapuram      |

|   75 | Telangana         | Asifabad    |
|------|-------------------|-------------|
|   76 | Telangana         | Bhopapalli  |
|   77 | Telangana         | Bhadadri    |
|   78 | Assam             | Goalpara    |
|   79 | Assam             | Barpeta     |
|   80 | Assam             | Hailakandi  |
|   81 | Assam             | Baksa       |
|   82 | Assam             | Darrang     |
|   83 | Assam             | Udalguri    |
|   84 | Assam             | Dhubri      |
|   85 | Nagaland          | Kiphire     |
|   86 | Mizoram           | Mamit       |
|   87 | Sikkim            | West Sikkim |
|   88 | Manipur           | Chandel     |
|   89 | Meghalaya         | Ribhoi      |
|   90 | Tripura           | Dhalai      |
|   91 | Arunachal Pradesh | Namsai      |
|   92 | Karnataka         | Raichur     |
|   93 | Karnataka         | Yadgir      |
|   94 | Maharashtra       | Nandurbar   |
|   95 | Maharashtra       | Washim      |
|   96 | Maharashtra       | Gadchiroli  |
|   97 | Maharashtra       | Osmanabad   |
|   98 | Chhattisgarh      | Korba       |
|   99 | Chhattisgarh      | Rajnandgaon |
|  100 | Chhattisgarh      | Mahasamund  |
|  101 | Chhattisgarh      | Kanker      |
|  102 | Chhattisgarh      | Narayanpur  |
|  103 | Chhattisgarh      | Dantewada   |
|  104 | Chhattisgarh      | Bijapur     |
|  105 | Chhattisgarh      | Bastar      |
|  106 | Chhattisgarh      | Kondagaon   |
|  107 | Chhattisgarh      | Sukma       |
|  108 | Rajasthan         | Dholpur     |
|  109 | Rajasthan         | Karauli     |
|  110 | Rajasthan         | Jaisalmer   |
|  111 | Rajasthan         | Sirohi      |
|  112 | Rajasthan         | Baran       |