Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked District Magistrates (DMs) to work on time-bound targets for 100% saturation of government services and facilties and urged every district to prepare a vision for next two years that aims to increase ease of living for people.
Mr Modi, who virtually interacted with DMs and Chief Ministers of select States after reviewing the the implementation of various government schemes, said the teamwork of Centre, States and local administration has yielded good results in the Aspirational Districts.
The Prime Minister said various ministries of his government have identified 142 districts across 22 States that cannot be classified as ‘backward’ but have lagged behind in one or two parameters.
The Chief Ministers who participated in the interaction included those from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka among others.
“This is a new challenge for all the governments - the government of India, the State government, the district administration, and the government machinery. Now we have to complete this challenge together,” Mr Modi said.
The Centre and States will work together to uplift these identified districts by addressing the pockets of under-development, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.
In his closing remarks, the Prime Minister dwelt upon the successes of the Aspirational Districts programme — aimed at quickly and effectively transforming 112 most under-developed districts across the country — and lauded the officials as well as the State governments.
“Today, aspirational districts are eliminating the barriers to the progress of the country. With the efforts of all of you, aspirational districts are becoming accelerators of growth instead of impediments,” he said.
Mr Modi said that these districts have proven that the elimination of silos in implementation of government policies ensures optimum utilisation of resources and talked about a “top to bottom as well as bottom to top governance flow”.
“Today in the auspicious moment [amrit kaal] of celebrating Independence, the country’s goal is to achieve 100 per cent saturation services and facilities. We have a long way to go compared to the milestones we have achieved so far and have to work on a much bigger scale,”Mr Modi said, urging officials to have time-bound targets to provide roads in all the villages of the districts, Ayushman Bharat cards, bank accounts to every person, Ujjwala gas connection, insurance, pension and housing.
Pitching a a two-year vision for every district, the Prime Minister 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, plan five such tasks that you can club with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” Mr Modi added.
The Prime Minister said the country is witnessing a silent revolution in the form of Digital India and a digital infrastructure is necessary to ensure door-step delivery of services and facilities in every village.
While the Prime Minister sought direct feedback from the DMs about the key steps taken by them that has resulted in success in the districts and the challenges faced by them, the officials shared their experiences, the PMO statement said.
The CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, gave an overview of the progress and implementation of the Aspirational District programme and the Rural Development Secretary gave a presentation on a mission to uplift 142 selected districts, on the lines of the focussed work done in the aspirational districts, the PMO added.
