Let there be any mention about Kashmir, usually it is terror related violence and flushing out militants from their hideouts, attacks on security forces and the like but North Kashmir’s Kupwara district has come up with a very positive and encouraging note and made a news not only in the State but in the country as well as it has earned its niche among the top seven districts across the country for having achieved the distinction of making remarkable progress in various developmental parameters under the Aspiration(al) Districts Programme (ADP) during the past five months. It may be recalled that ADP was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018 to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country. Definitely, while the credit of it goes to the Governor’s administration, it equally goes to the public for participation in such programmes in various ways, hence the top ranking. Earlier, during the recently concluded Local Bodies and Panchayati elections, people of this border district showed exemplary participation braving all threats. Governor Satya Pal Malik has complimented the District Administration of Kupwara for achieving major stride in ADP rankings.
Should the Second Delta Ranking released by the NITI Ayog be any indication of the sorts, Kupwara has taken a leap from 108th slot in the first ranking released in June 2018 to unexpected, if not unbelievable 7th slot in the latest ranking thereby achieving noticeable improvement on various parameters between June 2018 and October 2018. It is no less achievement having straightaway taken a big stride and could undoubtedly prove as a model district worth emulating by other districts which are with least performance scores. Governor has expressed the hope that other districts will also take a cue from Kupwara to push the developmental and welfare indicators in their respective districts. The parameters for reckoning are Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion, Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure.
The districts which have shown great initiative and displayed a qualitative jump in their scores during this period have been classified as ‘Fast Movers’ by NITI Ayog and Kupwara has achieved the distinction of joining the league. Baramulla, has emerged another aspiration(al) district in North Kashmir which has improved its ranking from 55 to 30 in the latest ranking released by the NITI Ayog. On the specific parameter of Financial Inclusion, Kupwara and Baramulla have bagged the first and the second rankings respectively across the country and in Skill Development, Baramulla has walked away with 5th rank among eleven aspiration (al) districts. The Governor has accordingly also complimented Baramulla District Administration for moving up several notches on Aspiration(al) District ranking .It can be seen that peace and violence less atmosphere largely contribute, among other things, to result in fast development and resultant desired achievements in a system where umbrella of developmental opportunities and means towards achieving results is stretched over other districts in equal length.
Sharing a feel or the sense of the pattern of rankings, NITI Ayog for the first time, arranged data collection from household surveys conducted by Ayog’s knowledge partners, TATA Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The surveys were carried out in all ‘Aspiration (al) Districts’ during the month of June 2018 covering more than one lakh households. These surveys were used to validate critical – data points and provide inputs for nine further data- points for which district level data is not regularly available at frequent intervals. Districts are , in the exercise, kept at the locus or a pointed position in terms of inclusive development.
This scientific and accurate basis of rank positioning calculations arranged meticulously by the NITI Ayog, thus shows how Kupwara district has come up with colours within the shortest time followed by Baramulla district in Kashmir region, of course, on account of slew of measures on developmental welfare and governance fronts initiated by the Governor’s administration. Let us hope, only such type of news and not otherwise, come from every corner of the three regions of the State.
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