Visakhapatnam: In a significant achievement, the Bhamini mandal of Parvathipuram Manyam district has topped the NITI Aayog Delta rankings for South India. Bhamini is one of the 500 mandals selected for the Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP)across the country. This accomplishment places it ahead of 15 other blocks in Andhra Pradesh and nearly 100 other blocks in South India, encompassing Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka under Zone-3 of NITI Aayog.NITI Aayog evaluates progress on various indicators quarterly and announces the top performers. In the latest rankings, Bhamini emerged as the leader, earning an incentive of 1.50 crore for its exceptional performance. The block excelled in key indicators, including education, health, nutrition, agriculture, livelihood development and infrastructure. Notable achievements include a 93 per cent pass rate in the Class X exams, 100 per cent soil health card distribution, declaring 20 of 27 grama panchayats as TB-free villages under the TB Mukt Bharat Yojana and full identification and enrolment of pregnant women under the Bathili, Baleru, and Bhamini primary health centres. The mandal also has advanced in natural farming promotion, crop diversification, millet seed distribution with a 100 per cent subsidy and expanding maize cultivation from 9 to 250 acres. District collector A. Shyam Prasad praised the officers and staff for their dedication in achieving this milestone. During a video conference on Saturday, he directed officials to draft an action plan for utilising the incentive, ensuring it aligns with the programme’s indicators. He stressed the need to sustain the block’s ranking, improve anaemia control measures, and incorporate innovative activities into the action plan. The ABP was initiated in March 2023 and aims to accelerate development in underperforming regions. Parvathipuram Manyam district, also an Aspirational District, ranked top among districts in 2023, receiving an incentive of Rs 3.50 crore.
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