The Aspirational Districts Program (ADP), the flagship scheme for transforming 112 backward districts, will be revamped, with NITI Aayog aiming to incorporate “substantial improvements and structural improvements in the existing framework, with selective modifications in the program design and implementation process,” the Center for Policy Research told a House committee. She stated that it is possible to add new areas to the plan.
ADP 2.0 will have revised key performance indicators, and the focus will be on innovation and training people in selected regions. But cash bonuses for top actors may be eliminated, according to think tank officials. “Several existing indicators have reached near saturation in most regions, leaving limited scope for additional gains. Accordingly, survey-based indicators and results are being re-evaluated in consultation with line ministries. The KPI framework is proposed to be reviewed and rationalized by July 2026 to further focus on remaining gaps and drive saturation at the last mile,” the Planning Ministry told the Standing Committee on Finance, led by BJP’s Bhatruhari Mehtab.
Niti Aayog told the committee, “There were nearly 80 indicators (in the scheme). Many indicators have been saturated. These areas are no longer at the bottom. So, about 30 were top performing areas. We will put them in a separate category. We will not give them any (financial) awards anymore, but people like this are called ambitious; they want to aspire to the next level. So, we will allow them.”
“The second is innovation. If I want to do something innovative, I give some money. The third is some spending on training, etc. So, we will continue to support them in innovation. But we will take them away from awards. About 80% of the money goes to awards. So, this is a basic restructuring. About 30-odd regions will move, and we have not yet looked at whether we should include new regions. It is quite possible. So, in the next 2-3 months, we will finalize them,” Aayog said. The program is supposed to roll out the new version of ADP by April.”
According to the new plan, the best performing regions among the 112 ADP regions are proposed to be graduated to the category of “Inspirational Regions”. These regions will serve as torchbearers and mentors for other aspiring regions. They will be classified separately and will not be eligible for prize money under the Challenge Method, although they may receive support under the Innovation category.
Launched in 2018, ADP continues to be a major blueprint for uplifting India’s poorest areas.
