The North News
New Delhi, April 21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for a transformative shift in how India’s progress is assessed, urging officials to stop measuring performance against past governments and instead focus on setting their own standards to meet the ambitious goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) by 2047.
“The time for tallying up what we have achieved so far is over,” Modi said, calling for a fresh benchmark-driven approach to governance. “We cannot evaluate our work by comparing it to previous governments. We must set our own benchmarks.”
Addressing a gathering of bureaucrats, Modi emphasised that effective governance goes beyond the mere announcement of schemes. “Quality in governance is not achieved merely by launching schemes, but by ensuring how deeply they impact the citizens of India,” he said. “It’s about understanding the real, on-ground effect.”
He cited progress in key areas such as school attendance and solar power adoption in districts across the country, noting that several districts had fulfilled their development commitments and were recognised for their efforts.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the achievements of the Aspirational Blocks Programme , launched in January 2023, which targets underdeveloped administrative blocks. He said the initiative has already delivered measurable improvements in health, education, and infrastructure within just two years.
“In some places, these blocks have even surpassed state averages,” he said. Citing examples, he pointed to the Peeplu block in Tonk, Rajasthan, where the efficiency of child measurement at Anganwadi centres jumped from around 20% to over 99%. In Jagdishpur block of Bhagalpur, Bihar, pregnant women registration rose from just 25% to more than 90%. And in Jammu and Kashmir’s remote Marwah block, institutional deliveries climbed from 30% to 100%. “These changes are not just numbers; they are lives transformed. And that’s the benchmark we must measure ourselves against,” Modi concluded.
