Govt, CPSEs need to work together for development of 115 aspirational districts: Kant
The private sector, Kant said, will not invest in these districts unless the government and CPSEs work together for their development, as many of the districts are located in geographically difficult area.
"About 115 districts of India keep India backward. These districts are backward because they do not perform well on nutrition, education and health, and these are some of the most geographically difficult districts of India.
"Unless we (the government and CPSEs) work together for development of these districts, no private sector will be interested to do anything here," Kant said at an event here.
He added that unless the government and CPSEs work in a "mission mode" to lift these districts out of poverty, "it will be very difficult to have growth, progress and prosperity in India".
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 5, 2018, aims at rapid transformation of 115 districts that have shown relatively lesser progress in key social areas and have emerged as pockets of under-development.
Three aspirational districts of West Bengal did not participate in the ADP.
Noting that transformation of such districts is important for the country's sustainable and inclusive growth, Kant said, "We want to use CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds for these districts."
In line with announcement by Modi for a theme-based approach to CSR, CPSEs have been spending 60 per cent of their such funds on a particular theme every year with preference to aspirational districts from the year 2018-19 onwards.
CPSEs have invested Rs 1,425 crore as CSR fund in 112 aspirational districts from April 2018 to September 2019.
Godda district of Jharkhand has received the highest CSR fund, Kant said adding that the Niti Aayog will launch CSR portal in the next 10 days that will also be available through mobile phones.