NITI Aayog To Work In Partnership With Odisha Govt: Amitabh Kant

Bhubaneswar: The NITI Aayog has decided to work in partnership with the Odisha government, said its CEO Amitabh Kant, on Saturday.

“We are working under a federal structure. Our prime objective is to integrate the central government schemes with that of the state government. We are also working out a plan on how to implement these converged schemes under the Aspirational District Initiative as we want Odisha to be the leading state in the implementation of this programme,” he told mediapersons after a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here.

Kant said the NITI Aayog would mainly focus on development of health, education, agriculture and skill development sectors in Odisha.

Stating that Odisha has given very practical, positive and pertinent suggestions, he said the NITI Ayog will take up the issues with respective ministries and find out appropriate solutions.

Prior to his meeting with the chief minister, Kant attended a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi.

Padhi pointed out the urgent need for creation of banking facilities, establishment of data and digital connectivity, credit flow to agriculture and MS&ME sector from commercial banks, establishment of railway connectivity, timely flow of ST and SC scholarships, flexibility in the flagship programmes like Pradhan Mantri Matrubandana Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana suiting the state requirements.

“We apprised the NITI Aayog CEO of no internet facility in the 10 aspirational districts. We also informed him that 70 percent of the panchayats in the state had no banking facility and urged him to solve these problems,” Padhi told mediapersons after the meeting.

Discussions in the meeting revealed that the transformation of Aspirational District Programmes focuses on five thematic areas like health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development and basic infrastructure.

Several indicators in each theme were discussed in the meeting. These included 13 indicators in health and nutrition, eight indicators in education, 10 in agriculture and water resources, seven in financial inclusion, five in skill development and six indicators in basic infrastructure making a total of 49 indicators. Tentative monitorable points on these indicators were also discussed in the meeting.

The collectors from 10 aspirational districts namely Koraput, Gajapati, Nuapada, Kandhamal, Dhenkanal, Nabrangpur, Kalahandi, Balangir, Malkangiri and Rayagada participated in the discussion through video conferencing.

The collectors appraised them about the strength, potential, present status and challenges of their respective districts like lack of banking facility, upgrading medicals, starting of health and wellness centres, data connectivity, additional grant to non-DMF (District Mineral Fund) and non-OMBADC (Odisha Mineral Bearing Area Development Corporation) and the Maoist-affected districts, which were taken note of by Kant.

It may be recalled that the state government in March this year had agreed to participate in Aspirational District Programme which it had rejected earlier with several conditions, including a change of panel of prabhari officers appointed for the backward districts after NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajeev Kumar met chief minister Naveen Patnaik.