Bhubaneswar: NITI Aayog has approved the inclusion of 11 more blocks of Odisha under the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), accepting a proposal in this regard from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
With this addition, the total number of blocks from Odisha under the programme has risen to 40.
Of the newly added blocks, five belong to Keonjhar district—Champua, Jhumpura, Keonjhar Sadar, Patana, and Telkoi while six are from Mayurbhanj—Bahalda, Bijatala, Jamda, Kusumi, Rairangpur, and Tiringi.
The announcement was made through a notification issued by NITI Aayog today.
The inclusion of these blocks fulfils the Chief Minister’s request to bring more backward regions of the state under the development-focused initiative.
The Aspirational Blocks Programme aims to drive development through the convergence of Central and State Government schemes. It also ranks the blocks based on various development indicators to foster a competitive spirit in implementing welfare programmes effectively.