Niti Ayog delta ranking: Backward Khagaria gets tops in Bihar, to get more funds

Khagaria district in Bihar has secured first rank on the basis of overall performance assessment in the month of November 2021, as per the Niti Ayog ranking under the aspirational districts programme, officials said.

Khagaria district in Bihar has secured first rank on the basis of overall performance assessment in the month of November 2021, as per the Niti Aayog ranking under the aspirational districts programme, officials said.

Niti Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant communicated about the ranking to Bihar’s chief secretary Amit Subhani on Wednesday. (ANI)

Niti Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant communicated this to Bihar’s chief secretary Amit Subhani on Wednesday. This makes Khagaria entitled to receive additional grant of ₹10 crore, says the Niti Aayog letter.

It is a significant development for Khagaria, which is one of the most backward districts in Bihar and is hit by by floods every year.

Khagaria district magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said, “It has got top rank in overall as well as health indicators. There are five parameters, of which Khagaria showed maximum improvement from its previous position in two, while in the rest three, it has been ranked third or fourth. There is still a long way to go. For serious illness, people still go to Bhagalpur, Begusarai or Patna. We hope Khagaria will be able to cater to its people’s health care needs within the district one day,” he said.

The DM said the district would now send proposals to improve the condition of farming and farmers. “Flood is a perennial problem in the area, where 15 panchayats are located in river beds. As a result, health centres also get affected. We plan to send a proposal for special health centres for flood affected places. They could be elevated to ensure people’s accessibility despite floods. We also intend planning for maize production and processing so that the farmers get the benefits. Two upcoming units for animal and poultry feed will help. Ethanol unit is also coming up. There is also immense scope for banana cultivation,” he said.

Launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018, the aspirational districts programme aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most underdeveloped districts across the country, of which 13 are in Bihar. The broad contours of the programme are convergence (of central & state Schemes), collaboration (of central, state-level ‘Prabhari’ officers & district collectors), and competition among districts through monthly delta ranking. Apart from additional funds, the district magistrates of the performing districts also get commendation.

Jamui and Purnia districts have also secured good overall rank, which makes them entitled to receive additional allocation of ₹2 crore and ₹3 crore, respectively, according to officials.

Nawada district has got good rank in financial inclusion and skill development and has become entitled to receive additional allocation of ₹3 crore. Begusarai has secured good rank in the field of basic infrastructure, which makes it entitled to additional allocation of ₹3 crore.

The ranked districts now have to prepare project proposals in consultation with state and central in-charge officers and send them to the Niti Aayog for final approval.

Niti aayog has set to a project management unit comprising experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United National Development Programme (UNDP) to assist the districts in formulation of their projects.