Aspirational Districts Programme

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) was launched in January 2018 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister with the objective of expeditiously improving the socio-economic status of 112 backward districts. Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram Districts in Tamil Nadu are among the selected 112 districts identified for transformative development.

For effective implementation and monitoring of the Aspirational Districts Programme, the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under the six thematic areas with weightage have been designed:

In Tamil Nadu, the primary objective of the program is to bring about a transformation in the 2 underdeveloped districts in the State. The program emphasises collaboration, competition, and convergence among districts. The specific indicators monitored include Health and Nutrition, Education, Basic Infrastructure, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, Agriculture, and allied areas.

The State Planning Commission serves as the nodal agency, coordinating ADP activities between NITI Aayog and district administrations. Monthly progress monitoring involves the Aspirational Districts Administration uploading values on 49 indicators under 6 socio-economic themes to the ADP – Champions of Change web portal. Districts are encouraged to compete with the best within their state and aspire to become among the best nationally.

Both Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram districts have demonstrated consistent progress. As of January 2024, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram have achieved composite index scores of 65.3 and 65.2, respectively, compared to their baseline values of 45.6 and 46.8 in April 2018.

Notable achievements:

 Ramanathapuram secured First rank in the Agriculture and Water Resource Sector for its performance in 2019 and 2021 respectively;  Further the district has secured a good rank in overall delta ranking in 2022 and performed well in Basic Infrastructure Sector in 2023.Virudhunagar receiving accolades for Basic Infrastructure in 2019, and Health and Nutrition sectors in 2020. The district has secured good rank in Overall delta rank in the years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Financial awards have been granted to the districts based on their outstanding performance.

Real-time monitoring and ranking are facilitated through an online portal established by NITI Aayog. The districts are ranked based on their progress against targets in 49 key performance indicators, creating competition and promoting competitive federalism. This ranking spans overall progress and sectoral performance.

Several government orders, including 

outlines the establishment and guidelines of the Aspirational Districts Programme, reflecting the commitment of the government to uplift and develop these regions.