Implementation of govt programmes: Nagaon, Bikaner, Hamirpur, Vizag in top performers list

NEW DELHI: Tea gardens-dotted Nagaon in Assam and East Sikkim in north-east, Bikaner in the west, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in the south – are among the top districts short-listed by for the best implementation of 4 priority programmes of the Modi government.
71 districts of the country feature in the short-list for 10 awards to be given away by PM Narendra Modi on April 21 on Civil Services Day.ET had earlier reported that the Centre called up nearly 7.62 lakh people in these 71 districts to ask them about the implementation of the priority schemes.
Though the final winners are still to be announced, the District Magistrates of short-listed districts Nagaon, Bikaner, Hamirpur, Ananthapur, Vishakapatnam, East Sikkim and Secretary, Education (J&K) have been selected to be part of the panel discussions to be held on April 20, each to be chaired by a central minister for the four priority schemes. Bikaner, the fourth largest district in the country, is meanwhile a frontrunner for the best district implementing Swachh Bharat (Gramin) as it is now a complete Outdoor Defecation Free district through a campaign launched by a woman collector.
The district concentrated on “behavioural change and pride, not just construction of toilets” and use of WhatsApp for monitoring.
Sikkim’s East, South and West districts also are frontrunners for best implementing Swachh Bharat. For the Swachh Vidhyalaya scheme, the DCs of Vishakapatnam and Ananthapur in Andhra Pradesh have been invited to be on the panel discussions along with Secretary (Education), J&K with the state’s Anantnag and Rajouri districts short-listed for best progress on constructing toilets in schools.
Vishakapatnam too the help of 14 PSU’s who under their Corporate Social Responsibility built 1605 toilets in schools in the district. The district also successfully made bio-toilets.

Nagaon has put its case forward for implementing PM Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY) and increase of 153% in the number of bank accounts in the district, from 2.79 lakh bank accounts to nearly seven lakh.
Azamgarh and Moradabad also are short-listed among those best implementing PMJDY. Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh has put up a case of 100% sample soil collection for Kharif and Rabi crops in the last financial year for excellence under the Soil Health Card scheme. MoS Finance Jayant Sinha, HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Drinking Water Minister Ram Kripal Yadav and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh will be chairing panel discussions on the four priority schemes with the DC’s on April 20.