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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
DEPARTMENT OF EXPENDITURE
RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *115
TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026/ 21 MAGHA, 1947 (SAKA)
GRANTS-IN-AID TO ODISHA’S ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS
*115. SHRI NIRANJAN BISHI:
Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:
(a) whether there is a proposal to provide additional grants-in-aid to Odisha’s
aspirational districts specially in Western Odisha like Balangir, for faster
infrastructure and human development progress; and
(b) if so, the details thereof; if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF FINANCE
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)
(a) to (b): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED IN PART (A) TO (B) OF THE REPLY TO RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *115 BY SHRI NIRANJAN BISHI REGARDING
“GRANTS-IN-AID TO ODISHA’S ASPIRATIONAL DISTRICTS” DUE FOR ANSWER
ON FEBRUARY 10, 2026.
(a) & (b):No such proposal is under consideration of the Government of India. Funding under
the Aspirational Districts programme (ADP) is based on the delta ranking method, which
rewards districts for their quarterly progress in the 49 Key Performance indicators under 5
broad socio-economic themes - Health & Nutrition' Education, Agriculture & Water
Resources, Financial inclusion & Skill Development and infrastructure. A total award money
of Rs. 30 crores per quarter is allocated to the top performing districts. The first and second
rankers in overall terms are awarded Rs. 10 crores and Rs. 5 crores respectively. The first
ranker from each of the five sectors is awarded Rs. 3 crores each. The funds allocated to each
state depend on the number of Aspirational Districts in that state and the consistency of
performance achieved by those districts. In Odisha, there are 10 districts under the ADP. The
details of funds sanctioned to these 10 Districts under ADP for the period from FY 2019-20 to
FY 2025-26 (till October 2025) are given below:
Funds sanctioned to the Aspirational Districts ln Odisha
S.No District Sanctioned amount under ADP for the period from FY 2019-20
to FY 2025-26 (till October 2025)
1 Balangir ₹ 18,06,20,000
2 Dhenkanal ₹ 9,81,55,850
3 Gajapati ₹ 24,06,09,428
4 Kalahandi ₹ 9,76,20,000
5 Kandhamal ₹ 11,06,20,000
6 Koraput ₹ 8,26,20,000
7 Malkangiri ₹ 14,05,71,000
8 Nabarangpur ₹ 11,06,19,700
9 Nuapada ₹ 22,06,20,000
10 Rayagada ₹ 9,27,89,000
Total ₹ 137,48,44,978
In addition, assistance is also being provided to the States through the scheme for
Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) since 2020-21. Odisha has been
provided an amount of Rs. 14,517 crores since 2020-21 under SASCI. These funds can also be
used by the State Government for development of Aspirational Districts.
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