That parts of India can be compared in terms of their socio-economic well-being (or lack of it) only to sub-Saharan Africa is known. It is a fact trotted out frequently to deflate the bullishness of those who would rather focus on India’s imminent superpower status. There have also been attempts to go beyond rhetoric and policy paralysis. Now, the Centre is again embarking on an action plan to change the situation on the ground.
Come April, the district magistrates of 115 most backward districts chosen by NITI Aayog will have to give monthly feedback, for one, on the quality of mathematics and languages being taught to children at schools. These districts will also be rated on a monthly basis against the best in their states and across India on several other parameters—literacy, school dropout rates, anaemia among women et al.
The NITI Aayog itself will monitor 30 such districts, and the Home Ministry has been put in charge of 35 Maoist-affected districts. The rest have been assigned to the HRD, Health and Panchayati Raj ministries. At the bureaucratic level, a joint/additional secretary will coordinate with the DMs. And a committee headed by NITI Aayog’s CEO will oversee the progress. A close watch on proceedings is in order. For, each of these districts gets between Rs 600 crore and Rs 1,200 crore. But where the funds disappear without making any difference on the ground has always been a big mystery.
The Tata Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will conduct quarterly surveys as independent outside agencies to monitor results, if any. This is a meaningful retuning of a previous attempt. The earlier avatar was undertaken during the UPA regime, identifying India’s most backward districts and directing a targeted fund flow at them. What makes the new scheme stand out is that there’s no promise of additional funds—instead, there will be handholding for implementation. And incentives for good rating. Hopefully, this method will show the results that have eluded India till now.