District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward

Panel Discussion on District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward

Greetings from the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi!
On behalf of IMPRI, New Delhi and US India Policy Institute (USIPI), Washington, D.C., we invite you to a #WebPolicyTalk – a Panel Discussion on
District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward
Details of the #WebPolicyTalk

Date: November 2, 2020 (Monday)
Time: 4:30 p.m. IST (GMT+5:30)
Platform: Zoom and Facebook live

Panelists:

Prof Abusaleh Shariff, Executive Director, US- India Policy Institute (USIPI), Washington DC

Avani Kapur, Director, Accountability Initiative; Fellow, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi

Dr Shreya Sinha, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge, UK

Dr Amit Kapoor, Chairman, Institute for Competitiveness, New Delhi

Dr Jyotsna Jha, Director, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS), Bengaluru

Moderators:

Dr Manorama Bakshi, Senior Advisor, TATA Trusts, New Delhi

Dr Arjun Kumar, Director, IMPRI; China India Visiting Scholar (CIVS) Fellow, Ashoka University

About the Talk- District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward

The focus of the Government of India on Regional Development and especially Districts (around 700 in number) has been a continuous exercise led by implementation and execution related targets and availability of data.

In this regard, the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) 2007, aimed at reducing regional imbalances and ensure ubiquitous development among diverse social groups, have now been replaced by the Aspirational District program to focus on 115 selected backward districts towards the vision of New India by 2022. Moreover, these Aspirational Districts are also ranked and monitored continuously through a comprehensive delta framework, database, and dashboard.

Further, the SDG Index developed by the NITI Aayog also have various parameters that are internationally comparable and suited for measuring districts development. With the advancement of the ICT capabilities, now all the ministries and departments have their own dedicated databases- program MIS, dashboard, registry, survey, etc., which are largely administrative databases and are most effective for the success of the program.

The Coronavirus pandemic has posed challenges to the development of the Districts in numerous ways. With the Government’s push towards #AtmaNirbharBharat, Vocal for Local, One District One Product, National Infrastructure Pipeline, etc., the focus on the statistical architecture of the District becomes essential for measuring development and diversity.

The urgent need for credible and more accessible dynamic data generated by the government especially in the framework for the development of districts has been raised by many policymakers. This special talk highlights the issue of District Development, Data and Diversity with the backdrop of the current COVID-19 Pandemic outlining lessons and way forward, towards ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas’.

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/_S_5ZINzt1Y

Facebook Live Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=external&v=355007709095855

Event Report

District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward

Media Coverage

• District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward | Youth Ki Awaaz
• District Development, Data and Diversity: Lessons and the Way Forward | Indrastra Global

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