Aim for time-bound delivery of services and facilities: PM to DMs

The PM said every district must have a time-bound target of how roads will reach every village, how every eligible individual will get Ayushman Bharat card and government insurance, how every household will get an Ujjwala gas connection among others.

He also called for a two-year vision for every district and suggested that every district can identify 10 tasks to be completed in the next three months to improve ease-of-living for common people. Similarly, five tasks may be associated with the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to achieve historical success.

“When the aspirations of others become your aspirations and when fulfilling the dreams of others becomes the measure of your success, then that path of duty creates history. Today, aspirational districts are eliminating the barriers in the progress of the country,” the PM said.

The Prime Minister noted that convergence is a major reason for the country’s success in the aspirational districts. “All resources are the same, government machinery is the same, officials are the same but the results are different. Seeing the entire district as a unit enables the officer to feel the enormity of her efforts and give a sense of purpose of life and satisfaction of bringing meaningful change,” he said.

The PM also stressed that no district should be left behind in the digital revolution as it can become a means of door-step delivery of services and facilities.

The DMs shared their experience which has led to improvement of performance of their districts on a host of indicators.

“The Prime Minister sought direct feedback from them about the key steps taken by them which has resulted in success in the districts, and about the challenges faced by them,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

Modi also asked NITI Aayog to devise a mode of regular interaction between the district DMs.

According to the PMO, CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant gave an overview of the progress and implementation of the Aspirational District programme.

“The efforts have resulted in these districts performing remarkably better in every parameter. The best practices like smart classroom initiative from Banka, Bihar; Mission Aparajita to prevent child marriages in Koraput, Odisha etc. were replicated by other districts as well,” the statement said.

The PMO said Rural Development Secretary gave a presentation on a mission to uplift 142 selected districts, on the lines of the focused work done in the aspirational districts.

“The Centre and states will work together to uplift these identified districts to address the pockets of under-development. Fifteen sectors corresponding to 15 ministries and departments were identified. In the sectors, key performance indicators (KPIs) were identified. The aim of the government is to ensure that the KPIs in the selected districts surpass the state average in the next one year and that they come at par with national average in two years,” the PMO said.