Aspirational Districts Programme
Targeting India's Most Deprived Areas
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched in January 2018 and initially called the "Transformation of Aspirational Districts" programme, identifies 112 districts across 28 states where development indicators on health, nutrition, education, agriculture/water, financial inclusion, and basic infrastructure are weakest. The programme uses a competitive ranking mechanism (Delta Ranking) to incentivise state governments and district administrations to improve monthly on key indicators.
- 112 districts selected based on composite under-development index; concentrated in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the Northeast.
- Delta Ranking: monthly improvement in indicators is scored; districts compete with peers; best performers highlighted — NITI Aayog monitors.
- Key indicator domains: Health & Nutrition (30%), Education (30%), Agriculture & Water Resources (20%), Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (10%), Basic Infrastructure (10%).
- The programme was extended and re-branded in 2022 as the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) to cover 500 backward blocks within already-improved aspirational districts.
- Maharashtra has 8 aspirational districts (mostly in Vidarbha and Marathwada), but they receive far less CSR support than the state's industrial heartland.
● Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen March 26, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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