Bhubaneswar: As many as 10 Union Ministers including Dharmendra Pradhan and Ashwini Vaishnaw will visit 10 Aspirational Districts of Odisha to review developmental works undertaken at the ground-level in the districts.
As many as 10 Districts of Odisha are covered under the Programme. The Districts are—Nuapada, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Koraput and Gajapati.
As per schedule, Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Food Processing, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan is visiting Koraput on Tuesday.
Education Minister Mr.Pradhan will visit Dhenkanal, while Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will inspect developmental projects in Malkangiri district. According to sources, Mr.Pradhan is scheduled to attend different programs in Dhenkanal district on April 13, 14 and 15 and in Bhubaneswar on April 16.
Similarly, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda will be visiting Aspirational District Kalahandi, MoS Rural Development Niranjana Jyoti—Balangir, MoS Law and Justice Satya Pal Singh Baghel – Nuapada, MoS Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel – Gajapati, MoS Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje – Nabarangpur, MoS Commerce and Industry Som Prakash – Rayagada and MoS Education Subhash Sarkar – Kandhamal.
After visiting the Aspirational Districts by April 20, these Union Ministers will submit their report to the Union Government.
The State Government has already appointed Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Ashok Kumar Meena as State Nodal Officer for smooth implementation of the Program.
The State Government has also appointed senior officers as in-charge of the 10 Districts while the Union Government has also appointed Central Prabhari Officers for the Aspirational Districts who regularly visit the districts and present their reports to the NITI Aayog.
It may be mentioned that the Centre had launched the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ initiative in January 2018 to improve India’s ranking under Human Development Index, raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth of all.
A total of 117 Aspirational Districts across India including 10 from Odisha have been identified by NITI Aayog based upon composite indicators from health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, financial inclusion and skill development and basic infrastructure.