Chandauli rated 2nd, Sonbhadra 4th in UNDP report

LUCKNOW: Chandauli and Sonbhadra districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh have been rated among the top five aspirational districts of the country in terms of improvement in net resilience and net vulnerability index, according to a report by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India.

Chandauli figures at number two and Sonbhadra at four in the ratings. Ranchi (Jharkhand) has performed the best in the country.

The report is entitled “UNDP’s aspirational districts programme: An appraisal”. Resilence of the districts increased and vulnerability decreased between 2018 and 2020 assessments, said the UP government in a statement citing the report.

It said the UNDP report was based on quantitative analysis of publicly available data as well as interviews with various stakeholders, including district magistrates, central prabhari (in charge) officers, district fellows, and other development partners.

The aspirational district’s programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2018 as a part of the government’s efforts to raise the living standards in laggard districts.

Later in the day, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, in a tweet in Hindi, said that UP was fast progressing towards integrated and all-inclusive development under the guidance of the Prime Minister and the praise of Chandauli, Sonbhadra, and Fatehpur districts of Uttar Pradesh in UNDP India report was a testimony to it.