Niti Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme is a laboratory for governance reform | The Indian Express

Niti Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme is a laboratory for governance reform | The Indian Express

Written by Alok Kumar, Ronald Abraham |Updated: October 31, 2019 11:14:39 am

The writer is with the Niti Aayog

Ronald Abraham is Partner and India lead at IDinsight, a knowledge partner for the ADP.

Niti Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme is a laboratory for governance reform

If successful, the ADP can present a new template for governance. It is therefore critical to try and get it right.

Government think tank Niti Aayog. (File photo)

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is one of the largest experiments on outcomes-focused governance in the world. Spread across 112 of India’s socio-economically challenged districts, the ADP is Niti Aayog’s flagship initiative to improve health, nutrition, education, and economic outcomes. Initial evidence suggests that the ADP has already contributed towards improving lakhs of lives. If successful, the ADP can present a new template for governance. It is therefore critical to try and get it right.