The Indian government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) in the current financial year.
ABP is designed to improve governance at the block level and enhance the quality of life of citizens.
The program is being implemented in 500 aspirational blocks across 329 districts in the country.
The government’s goal is for all 500 blocks to reach the state average in terms of development within three years.

ABP is a development initiative aimed at improving the performance of areas that lag on various development parameters.
It was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 and was launched during the 2nd National Conference of Chief Secretaries in January 2022.
Initially, it covers 500 districts across 31 states and Union Territories, with a focus on six states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal.
ABP is built upon the foundation of the Aspirational District Programme (ADP).

ADP was launched in 2018 with the goal of transforming districts that exhibit relatively slower progress in key social areas.
It covers 112 districts across India.
NITI Aayog anchors the program at the national level, while individual Ministries are responsible for driving progress in these districts.
The program emphasizes convergence, collaboration, and competition among districts to foster inclusive development.
The delta ranking system ranks districts based on incremental progress across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under five socio-economic themes.

Objectives of ADP

Localize Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and promote inclusive growth.
Encourage districts to catch up with the best-performing district within their state and aspire to become one of the best in the country.
Foster competitive and cooperative federalism.

Parameters for Ranking

The ranking is based on incremental progress across five broad socio-economic themes:

Various Initiatives under ADP

NITI Aayog has launched several flagship initiatives within the ADP framework, including: