Incidences that Strengthen Co-operative Federalism

1. NITI Aayog Releases Second Delta Ranking of the Aspirational Districts

• The NITI Aayog on December 27, 2018 released the Second Delta ranking for the Aspirational Districts which measures the incremental progress made by them between June 1, 2018 and October 31, 2018.
• Parameters: The ranking of districts were based on basically across six developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion, Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.
• Third-party Data validation: For the first time, the ranking factors in validated data from Household Surveys conducted by NITI Aayog’s knowledge partners, namely, TATA Trusts and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
• Delta Ranking: The delta ranking of the Aspirational Districts combines the innovative use of data science with pragmatic administration, keeping the district at the locus of inclusive development. This positioning is expected to aid the District Magistrates/Collectors to focus more on these sectors and improve their ranking in future.
• First Delta Ranking: The first Delta Ranking for the Aspirational Districts was released in June 2018. It ranked the Aspirational Districts on improved performance across five developmental areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure.
• Outcome of Second Delta Ranking
  • In the overall ranking, most and least improved districts are as follows-The districts which have shown great initiative and displayed a qualitative jump in their scores between June and October 2018, have been dubbed as ‘Fast Movers’:

2. Composite Water Management Index 2.0

• NITI Aayog has released the second round of Composite Water Management Index (CWMI 2.0) in August, 2019.
• It was first launched and conceptualized the Composite Water Management Index in 2018 as a tool to instill the sense of cooperative and competitive federalism among the states. CWMI 2.0 ranks various states for the reference year 2017-18 as against the base year 2016-17.

Rankings

• Non-Himalayan States: Gujarat held on to its rank one in the reference year (2017-18), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
• North-Eastern and Himalayan States: In North Eastern and Himalayan States, Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged number 1 in 2017-18 followed by Uttarakhand, Tripura and Assam.
• Union Territories: The Union Territories have first time submitted their data and Pondicherry has been declared as the top ranker.

Significance of these Indices

• The Indices are expected to promote the spirit of ‘competitive and cooperative federalism’ in the country, and ensure sustainable and effective management of resources.
• Aspirational District Program (ADP) – The Program focuses on the broad contours of Convergence (of Central & State Schemes), Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a mass Movement. With States as the main drivers, this program focuses on the strength of each district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure progress, and rank districts.
• Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) - The CWMI is envisioned to bring about much-required improvements in water resource management and conservation in India in a coherent and collaborative manner. The Index will measure both the overall progress made by states in water management and the incremental improvement in performance across time. The results of the entire exercise are used to propel action in the states to improve water outcomes, besides improving data collection and performance monitoring mechanisms.