Soreng District in Sikkim tops NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme
Author: BI Bureau
Gangtok:Soreng District in Sikkim has emerged as the leading district among 112 districts across India participating in the prestigious Aspirational District Programme for the month of May, as announced by the Office of the District Collector, Soreng, recently.
Launched in January 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Aspirational District Programme (ADP) aims to expedite the transformation of the 112 most underdeveloped districts in the country.
The program revolves around three key principles: Convergence, Collaboration, and Competition. Convergence involves aligning Central and State Schemes, Collaboration focuses on close cooperation between Central and State level Nodal Officers, as well as District Collectors, and Competition is fostered through monthly delta rankings. These rankings are determined by the progress achieved across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in five socio-economic areas: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion, and Skill Development & Infrastructure.
Soreng District's exceptional performance in these areas was highlighted by Soreng Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bhim Thatal, who stated, "Under the ADP, NITI Aayog monitors districts' progress in the aforementioned 5 KPIs and provides performance-based additional funds to districts that achieve high ranks. I am delighted to announce that Soreng has secured the 1st position in Health & Nutrition, 10th in Education, 7th in Agriculture & Water Resources, 10th in Financial Inclusion, and 12th in Skill Development and Infrastructure. Considering the overall average, Soreng has emerged as the top district in the country for the month of May, surpassing 112 other participating districts."
Following the district's separation from the erstwhile West District, Soreng became an Aspirational District in November 2022. Over the past nine months, Soreng has consistently demonstrated remarkable progress in most of the KPIs. As a result, the district has been rewarded twice under the ADP, receiving financial incentives for achieving the predetermined targets set for the five KPIs. /BI
