BHUBANESWAR: As many as 29 blocks of the state are likely to be covered under the aspirational block programme launched by the Centre recently.
Presenting the full-fledged budget of the Modi government before the next general elections, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 500 blocks of the country have been covered under the programme to improve their socio-economic status.
In her budget speech, Sitharaman said, “Building on the success of the aspirational district's programme, the government has recently launched the aspirational blocks programme covering 500 blocks for saturation of essential government services across multiple domains such as health, nutrition, education, agriculture, water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure.”
Official sources said the number of included blocks in Odisha may increase if the necessity arises.
Launched in 2018, of the 112 districts in the country, 10 from Odisha - Balangir, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangur, Nuapada and Rayagada - were covered under the aspirational district programme (ADP).
The total number of blocks in these districts is 102. Even after five years of the launch of the ADP programme with a focus on five main themes - health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development, and basic infrastructure - which have a direct bearing on the quality of life and economic productivity of citizens, there is a lot to be desired from the 10 districts.
None of the districts is up to the mark in improving the health and nutrition condition even after five years of the launch of the programme. The tribal-dominated Malkangiri district is at the bottom of the list with a five per cent weightage.
In the agriculture and water resources sector, Gajapati district is among the top ten districts of the country while Balangir, Dhenkanal and Kalahandi are in the bottom 10 districts since the inception of the programme. Rayagada is among the top performer's districts by achieving 51 per cent improvement in the education sector while Nabarangpur is in the bottom 10 districts with 13 per cent against the 30 per cent target.
The three core principles of the programme are convergence (of central and state schemes), collaboration (among citizens and functionaries of central and state governments including district teams), and competition among districts.