NITI Aayog Convenes Regional Best Practices Seminar in Visakhapatnam

NITI Aayog convened the Regional Best Practices Seminar (South) on nine March 2026 at Visakhapatnam under the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) and Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP), bringing together senior officials from the central government, state governments and district administrations from across southern India. The seminar focused on showcasing replicable district led innovations that have contributed to improving development outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Blocks. Attendees included senior officials from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including district collectors and departmental representatives.

In his keynote address, the Additional Secretary and Mission Director for the ADP and ABP highlighted the progress of the programmes, commended district and block officials for their efforts and urged making the initiative a Jan Andolan through community participation and departmental convergence. He observed that many indicators were nearing saturation and praised the strong performance of southern states. The seminar was structured around three thematic sessions to enable peer learning and documentation of effective models.

The education and skill development session featured district level initiatives including the NIRMAN initiative from Alluri Sitarama Raju district aimed at improving foundational learning outcomes and the Rural Incubation Centre model from NTR district that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship among rural youth. Health and nutrition sessions showcased initiatives such as the Anaemia Mukt initiative from Bidar district to address anaemia among women and children and the Amma Rakshitha programme from Nirmal district to improve maternal health outcomes. Additional district presentations focused on strengthening youth skills and aligning interventions for measurable results.

Discussions emphasised the importance of scaling locally relevant innovations, documenting successful practices and strengthening implementation through convergence and community engagement. The seminar concluded with the unveiling of a Best Practices Compendium that documents impactful initiatives from districts across southern states and provides a repository of replicable models for service delivery and development outcomes. Officials signalled continued emphasis on peer learning and dissemination to accelerate progress under the ADP and ABP.