Parliament Question: Grants-in-aid to Odisha’s aspirational districts

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. *********