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Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 3 times

Aspirational Districts Programme

Design and Structure

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched by the Prime Minister in January 2018, targeting 112 of India's most underdeveloped districts across the country. Every state has at least one aspirational district. The programme aims to rapidly transform these districts through a three-C framework: Convergence (of Central and State schemes), Collaboration (between Central and State level officials and District Collectors), and Competition (through monthly delta ranking).

Key details
  • The programme is anchored by NITI Aayog and covers 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across 5 themes: Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Infrastructure.
  • The 'Champions of Change' Dashboard is a real-time public platform that tracks district progress monthly and publishes delta rankings.
  • The ADP replaced the earlier 'Backward Region Grant Fund' (BRGF) approach with a competitive, data-driven model.
  • State governments serve as primary drivers; each district has a Central and State Prabhari (in-charge) officer.
In the news

Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen March 26, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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