Aspirational Block
Programme
Building on the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), the Government of India (GOI) decided to expand the template of ADP at the block level. The Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP) was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 7th January 2023, aiming to expedite the development of the most backward blocks and improve socio-economic conditions in 500 underdeveloped blocks nationwide. In Tamil Nadu, 16 under-developed blocks have been selected as Aspirational Blocks by NITI Aayog.
For effective implementation and monitoring of the Aspirational Blocks Programme, the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under the five thematic areas with weightage have been designed:
| S.No | Thematic Area | No of KPI |
Theme Weightage ( in %) |
| 1 | Heath & Nutrition | 14 | 30 |
| 2 | Education | 11 | 30 |
| 3 | Agriculture and Allied Services | 5 | 20 |
| 4 | Basic Infrastructure | 5 | 15 |
| 5 | Social Development | 4 | 5 |
| Total | 39 | 100 | |
16 Aspirational Blocks were chosen for Tamil Nadu.
List of Aspirational Blocks under the ABP
| S.No | District | Block |
| 1 | Ariyalur | Andimadam |
| 2 | Kallakurichi | Kalvarayan Hills |
| 3 | Karur | Thogaimalai |
| 4 | Perambalur | Alathur |
| 5 | Pudhukottai | Thiruvarankulam |
| 6 | Ramanadhapuram(AD) | Thiruvadanai |
| 7 | Ranipet | Timiri |
| 8 | Sivagangai | Thirupathur |
| 9 | The Nilgiris | Kothagiri |
| 10 | Thenkasi | Melaneelithanallur |
| 11 | Thiruvanamalai | Javvadhu Hills |
| 12 | Tirchirrapalli | Thuraiyur |
| 13 | Tirunelveli | Naguneri |
| 14 | Vellore | K.V.Kuppam |
| 15 | Villupuram | Thiurvennainallur |
| 16 | Virudhunagar (AD) | Thiuchuli |
In Tamil Nadu, the objective of the programme is to achieve saturation of essential government services in the selected 16 blocks, in five thematic areas i.e., Health & Nutrition, Education, Drinking Water, Agriculture & Allied services and Basic Infrastructure.
Activities at the block level have commenced with a State Level Meeting organized by the State Planning Commission in collaboration with NIRD-PR, Hyderabad. This meeting, held on 26-27, September 2023, focused on preparing Block Development Strategies (BDS) for each Aspirational Block. The BDS for each block was subsequently prepared and uploaded onto the web portal of ABP by Block Development Officers (BDOs) with the approval of District Collectors.
The Sankalp Saptaah (Resolution Week) Programme related to ABP was officially launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on September 30, 2023 in New Delhi. Following this, events for Sankalp Saptaah were conducted across Village Panchayats of the 16 Aspirational Blocks in October 2023.
The deployment of ABP fellows for the 16 Aspirational Blocks and the procurement of tablets for these fellows are currently in progress. The Member-Secretary of the State Planning Commission has been nominated as the State Nodal Officer for the programme, overseeing the effective implementation of this program at the state level.
The State Planning Commission is the state coordinating agency to oversee the implementation of the program in the state.
The initiation of the Aspirational Blocks Programme is backed by a government Letter No.2465/SDG/2022, Planning and Development Department, dated: 16.08.2023. This order provides the necessary framework and guidelines for the implementation of ABP in Tamil Nadu.
