How many districts of Uttar Pradesh has been covered under the Aspirational District Programme run by NITI Aayog, up to June, 2021 ?
- (a)4
- (b)6
- (c)8
- (d)10
Correct — C, 8. Under NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched in January 2018 to fast-track development in the country's most under-developed districts, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh are covered: Bahraich, Balrampur, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar and Sonbhadra. This count of 8 for UP held as of June 2021. Nationally the programme covers 112 districts selected on composite indicators of health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water resources, financial inclusion, skill development and basic infrastructure.
- (a)4 — Understates the count — UP has eight, not four, aspirational districts under the programme.
- (b)6 — Still short of the actual number; the correct figure for Uttar Pradesh is eight districts.
- (d)10 — Overstates the count — only eight UP districts (Bahraich, Balrampur, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Sonbhadra) are in the programme, not ten.
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a NITI Aayog initiative launched in January 2018 to rapidly transform the districts that lag most on key development indicators. It works on the '3 Cs' approach — Convergence (of central & state schemes), Collaboration (of central, state and district officials) and Competition (through real-time monitoring and ranking on the Champions of Change dashboard). Districts are ranked on a composite score across five broad themes: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure. Of 112 aspirational districts nationwide, eight lie in Uttar Pradesh.
The trap is guessing a round number; the specific figure for UP is 8. A useful anchor is that the national programme covers 112 districts, and UP — India's most populous state — contributes eight of them, concentrated in its poorer eastern/Bundelkhand belts (e.g., Shravasti, Bahraich, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar in the east; Chitrakoot, Fatehpur in Bundelkhand; Chandauli and Sonbhadra in the south-east).
- Uttar Pradesh has 8 Aspirational Districts: Bahraich, Balrampur, Chandauli, Chitrakoot, Fatehpur, Shravasti, Siddharthnagar, Sonbhadra.
- ADP was launched by NITI Aayog in January 2018; 112 districts nationwide.
- Ranking is based on a composite score across 5 themes (health & nutrition, education, agriculture & water, financial inclusion & skills, basic infrastructure).
- Approach: the '3 Cs' — Convergence, Collaboration and Competition, tracked on the Champions of Change dashboard.
Eight of India's 112 aspirational districts lie in Uttar Pradesh, mostly in its eastern and Bundelkhand regions.
- Picking a round number (4/6/10) instead of the exact figure, 8.
- Confusing the ADP (NITI Aayog, 2018) with older backward-district funds like the BRGF.
UPPSC tends to ask the exact count for UP or to name which districts are 'aspirational'; UPSC asks the programme's design (agency, indicators, the 3 Cs).
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Aspirational Districts Programme in India is run by which of the following bodies?
- (a)Ministry of Rural Development
- (b)NITI Aayog
- (c)Finance Commission
- (d)Ministry of Home Affairs
Answer(b) NITI Aayog — it launched and monitors the programme (from January 2018), coordinating with central ministries and states.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Aspirational Districts Programme approach is best described by which of the following?
- (a)Command and control
- (b)Convergence, Collaboration and Competition
- (c)Public-private partnership only
- (d)Centrally sponsored subsidy transfer
Answer(b) Convergence, Collaboration and Competition — the '3 Cs' driving the programme, tracked on the Champions of Change dashboard.