NITI Aayog signs SoI with Lupin Foundation for Collaborating in Aspirational Districts .

To work across the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to create templates for concerted development policy

A Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed today between NITI Aayog and Lupin Foundation to collaborate in Aspirational Districts Programme. The SoI was signed by Shri Yaduvendra Mathur, Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog and Shri Sita Ram Gupta, Executive Director, Lupin Foundation.

For this programme, the NITI Aayog and Lupin Foundation are collaborating to improve indicators in education, health & nutrition, financial inclusion and skill development, agriculture and water resources and basic infrastructure in Aspirational Districts of India.

As per the terms of the SoI, Lupin Foundation, with the NITI Aayog, will work in three states - Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan - to facilitate the creation of an ideal template to develop economic strength, technological viability and moral leadership across three districts in these states as part of Phase I of the cooperation.

Phase I of this cooperation with NITI Aayog will focus on the districts of Dholpur in Rajasthan, Nandurbar in Maharashtra and Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh, and help develop a comprehensive district-level action plan with integrates various initiatives and interventions.

Lupin Foundation will work towards three main pillars of ensuring integrated developmental policy in the model states – social development, which will include initiatives for health, education and women empowerment; economic empowerment, focussing interventions in spheres of agriculture, animal husbandry and skill enhancement; and infrastructure development, where Lupin will loop to establish durable infra in the form of internal roads, school buildings and water resources.

About Aspirational District Programme:

Launched by the Hon’ble PM in January this year, the ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country.

The broad contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a Mass Movement or a Jan Andolan. With States as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.

The Government is committed to raising the living standards of its citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.

To enable optimum utilization of their potential, this program focuses closely on improving people’s ability to participate fully in the burgeoning economy. Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure are this programme’s core areas of focus.

After several rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, 49 key performance indicators have been chosen to measure progress of the districts. Districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch-up with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others in the spirit of competitive & cooperative federalism.

About Lupin and Lupin Foundation:

Lupin is an innovation-led pharmaceutical company with a global footprint and known for its generic medicines. Lupin Foundation is a trust, NGO, independent body promoted by Lupin Ltd. Formed in 1988, decades before CSR became mandatory, showing its commitment beyond just compliance. The Foundation works towards creating an alternative model of rural development which is sustainable, replicable and ever evolving essentially empowering under privileged and marginalized sections of society and providing basic infrastructure and balanced ecological base to the villages. (Source: PIB)