05-07-2025
Jalandhar leads country in NITI Aayog's Aspirational Blocks Programme
In a significant milestone, Jalandhar district has bagged the first prize in the country (Zone II) under NITI Aayog's Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), earning a development grant of ₹1.5 crore to further improve key parameters in Shahkot block. The
₹ 1.5 crore award money will be spent on development work across various sectors in Jalandhar's Shahkot block, including health, education, nutrition, agriculture and basic infrastructure. (HT)
Deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal presented the district's achievements during a video conference with NITI Aayog officials, detailing the focused interventions made to uplift Shahkot's performance across key parameters.
'This award money will be spent on development work across various sectors in the block, including health, education, nutrition, agriculture and basic infrastructure,' Aggarwal said.
The deputy commissioner attributed this success to a slew of initiatives undertaken in Shahkot over the past few months, which resulted in a marked improvement in performance indicators, making it the top-performing aspirational block in the country (Zone II).
The central government had launched the Aspirational Blocks Programme on January 7, 2023, during the second National Conference of Chief Secretaries. The programme aims to improve governance and enhance the quality of life in India's remotest and underdeveloped blocks, focusing on uplifting them through measurable and sustainable development.
