Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, has lauded India’s “Aspirational Districts Programme” as one of the unsung successes in the country’s efforts to uplift underdeveloped regions. During his address at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025, Tharman Shanmugaratnam highlighted the programme’s positive impact on rural India, emphasizing its focus on empowering communities and improving health outcomes, especially for women and children. The programme, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, aims to transform 112 of India’s most underdeveloped districts through targeted interventions in health, education, and infrastructure.
Programme Focus on Health and Community Empowerment
The Aspirational Districts Programme gives local communities the ownership and responsibility for driving change within their regions. Tharman Shanmugaratnam pointed out that this approach involves developing key sectors like health, with a special focus on maternal and child health. The programme works by training community health workers, para-nurses, and establishing data systems to support these initiatives. It has proven successful in providing agency to people in these villages, allowing them to take charge of their own development.
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who has visited several of these districts, noted the tangible improvements he witnessed, which were driven by local involvement. He emphasized that such grassroots-level innovations were key to sustainable development in the region. The president’s remarks were echoed by Shriti Pandey, a researcher who has closely studied the programme. Pandey, who spent time in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, observed significant empowerment of women, with many taking leadership roles in local healthcare facilities such as clinics and Anganwadis.
Collaborations and Future Plans
The programme has attracted support from major organizations, including the Gates Foundation, Piramal Foundation, and Tata Trusts, helping fund its initiatives. At the summit, Pandey explained that while the programme has shown success in areas like health, there are still challenges in infrastructure, particularly in waste management, schools, and education. Many CSR initiatives have adopted the framework of the programme to guide their funding efforts.
At the conference, Singapore’s Temasek Trust also introduced new global initiatives focused on climate and health, recognizing the intersection of these issues with community-based projects like India’s Aspirational Districts Programme. These initiatives aim to address global challenges through targeted investments and collaborative efforts, helping scale solutions for health and climate sustainability.
This recognition of India’s Aspirational Districts Programme underscores the growing international attention on inclusive development models that empower communities and provide them with the tools needed to address their own challenges.
