New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged central and state authorities to identify and uplift the 100 most backward blocks in their regions, and transform them. He also called for recognizing enthusiastic officers dedicated to driving changes at the block level.
Speaking at the launch of ‘Sankalp Saptaah’, a week-long programme on the implementation of the government’s aspirational blocks programme, Modi told the secretaries of central government departments and officials of states to identify 100 blocks in the country that are lagging behind in their respective departments and work towards improving the conditions there.
Modi stressed that these 100 identified blocks should surpass the national average in development and said Sankalp Saptaah should not merely remain a NITI Aayog programme.
“If they evolve a model to bring 100 villages out of backwardness in one month, then it wont be difficult to replicate the same in 1000 villages,” Modi said in the capital in his speech delivered in Hindi.
The Prime Minister highlighted how the government's approach transformed certain backward districts from being perceived as punishment postings to vibrant aspirational districts. The government asked young officers to be deployed in aspirational districts, and found them enthusiastic about getting things done, leading to transformation. People who worked well in aspirational districts got good assignments subsequently, Modi said.
“In the case of aspirational blocks too, I will appeal to the state governments-- and central government authorities too consider this, whoever is successful at their work at block level, his future should also be bright. Officers bringing transformation on the ground should be encouraged,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also described the aspirational districts programme as one of the best ten schemes in Independent India.
Modi expressed confidence that the enthusiasm of people working on the programme will lead to the blocks touching the parameters of state level development.
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