Lok Sabha Question No. 1453 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-31
Subject: Development Programmes in Jharkhand
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Shri Chandra Prakash Choudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1453

TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2024

## DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN JHARKHAND

## 1453   SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH CHOUDHARY:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the schemes proposed by NITI Aayog for ensuring availability of roads, electricity, solar power and rural development in Jharkhand during the last five years;
- (b) the details of steps being taken for increasing the means of employment in Jharkhand during last five years;
- (c) the details of steps being taken by the Government for overall development in the State of Jharkhand by NITI Aayog during the last five years; and
- (d) the details of schemes proposed by Prime Minister's development package in Jharkhand in the last five years?

## 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 CULTURE

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a) to (d)  NITI Aayog, the premier think tank of the Government of India, provides directional and policy inputs, designing long-term policies and programmes. It offers strategic and technical advice to States and Union Territories (UTs) for the development process. No specific schemes for  roads,  solar  power,  electricity,  or  rural  development  in  Jharkhand  or  Prime  Minister's development package has been proposed by NITI Aayog over the last five years.  However, NITI Aayog has continuously engaged with the Government of Jharkhand in the spirit of cooperative federalism through the Governing Council meetings and periodic interactions both at official level at the level of Hon'ble Chief Minister.  These meetings also aimed to resolve some of the specific issues faced by Jharkhand with different Central Ministries.

Some major initiatives taken by NITI Aayog for all-round development of the State include the following:

## 1. Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)

NITI  Aayog's  Sustainable  Action  for  Transforming  Human  Capital  in  Education  (SATH-E) initiative aimed to create 'role model' states in school education, impacting 2.3 crore students, 4.5 lakh teachers and 2.3 lakh government schools in three States including Jharkhand.  With the help

of interventions, notable achievements have been recorded in Jharkhand.  These include a 12% improvement in student competencies, teacher recruitment, reorganisation of 4600 schools, and establishment  of  80  Schools  of  Excellence.  Furthermore,  the  Digi-SATH  initiative  ensured continuity  of  education  during  the  COVID-19  pandemic  through  online  and  offline  learning modes, extensive use of educational TV content, and the training of elementary school teachers on the Diksha platform.

## 2. Innovation

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog is a flagship program that promotes a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. Under AIM, so far 126 Atal Tinkering Labs have been set up in Jharkhand. Also, Atal Community  Innovation Centres (ACICs) are being established  to  drive  innovations  towards  achieving  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  of  the country. One ACIC at IIT(ISM) foundation, Dhanbad, has been set up in Jharkhand.

## 3.

## Competitive Federalism

## Aspirational Districts Program

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) aims to quickly and effectively transform the socioeconomic conditions in the 112 most under-developed districts nationwide. 19 out of 24 districts in  Jharkhand  are  part  of  this  program.  After  the  launch,  these  select  districts  have  undergone visible changes across 49 Key Performing Indicators (KPIs).

## Aspirational Blocks Program

Building on the success of the ADP, NITI Aayog has launched the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) in January 2023 to improve service delivery in India's remotest and less-developed blocks. Jharkhand has 34 aspirational blocks and for implementing and monitoring the programme, a range of initiatives have been taken including deployment of fellows. A  three-month 'Sampoornata Abhiyan' has also been undertaken to saturate six identified indicators in these blocks.

## 4.  State Support Mission

The  State  Support  Mission  (SSM)  was  established  by  NITI  Aayog  to  help  States  and  Union Territories to set up State Institutions for Transformation (SITs) as multi-disciplinary resource centres  to  guide  their  development  strategies.  Under  this  mission,  NITI  Aayog  continuously engages with States including with Jharkhand for establishing SIT in the state.

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