New Delhi: The second day of the National Conference on Holistic Development of Districts in Patna brought together senior administrators, policy leaders, and experts from across the country to share innovative practices and experiences that are shaping inclusive and sustainable development at the grassroots level. The deliberations centred on strengthening transparency, enabling direct benefit transfers, encouraging holistic approaches to governance, and implementing flagship schemes for maximum impact.
Session four of the conference was chaired by Shri S. N. Tripathi, Director General of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, who underlined the critical role of transparency and reforms such as Direct Benefit Transfer in ensuring that welfare schemes reach the intended beneficiaries in a timely and efficient manner. He also highlighted how development should be understood as a continuing process, where time becomes an important marker of progress.
Among the district-level experiences shared, District Magistrate of Patna, Shri Thiyagrajan S. M., spoke about an innovative approach in addressing hearing loss among children. By using the existing Anganwadi infrastructure and enabling inter-departmental collaboration, Patna has managed to create a cost-effective yet impactful model without additional budgetary demands. His narration of success stories, where children benefitted from expensive cochlear implants, demonstrated the potential of this model to bring transformational change.
Speaking about experiences from the North-East, Dr. Varnali Deka, Director in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, highlighted the transformation of Nalbari district in Assam, achieved through a “No One Left Behind” approach. She explained how initiatives like Udyam Goshti, or entrepreneurship clubs, have nurtured local enterprise and significantly impacted the holistic development of communities. In her words, such approaches not only uplift individuals but also set the foundation for sustainable district-level growth.
From the desert terrains of Rajasthan, District Collector of Bikaner, Ms. Namrata Vrishni, recounted the efforts made to strengthen early childhood education. She spoke about introducing vernacular instruction at Anganwadi centres, ensuring electrification, and installing smart TVs to aid learning. She emphasized that the challenges of a desert state are unique and require innovative, location-specific solutions, along with investments in strengthening the infrastructure of government schools for long-term development.
Bihar’s sports transformation story was shared by Shri Mahendra Kumar, Director (Sports), Government of Bihar, who presented a vision of making sports a way of life. He informed the gathering that more than 8,000 playgrounds have been developed under MGNREGA, and detailed initiatives such as sports scholarships, talent identification and nurturing, hosting of international tournaments, and infrastructure building at every level of governance. He stressed that Bihar is steadily emerging as a sports powerhouse, driven by a carefully designed sports ecosystem.
The fifth session, chaired by Shri Narmadeshwar Lal, Principal Secretary of the Sugarcane Industries Department, Government of Bihar, turned the spotlight on flagship schemes and grassroots innovations. District Magistrate of Azamgarh, Shri Ravindra Kumar, cited the district’s success in implementing eleven flagship schemes, achieving over 95 percent success in nine of them. He particularly underlined welfare measures such as PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi and nutrition programmes for women, which have positively touched thousands of lives.
District Magistrate of Aravalli, Gujarat, Ms. Prashasti Pareek, narrated her district’s experience in delivering benefits of key schemes such as PM-Jan Arogya Yojana, Poshan 2.0, Har Ghar Jal Yojana, Matru Vandana Yojana, and PM Awas Yojana. She emphasised how the convergence of schemes has been instrumental in building resilient and empowered communities.
Former DM of Vaishali, Bihar, Shri Yashpal Meena, spoke about strengthening grassroots democracy through an initiative called Apna Panchayat, Apna Prashasan. With the support of integrated call centres and real-time monitoring, his district was able to ensure transparency, accountability, and direct engagement with beneficiaries, thereby improving the effectiveness of welfare programmes.
The session also heard from Ms. Shubha Kalyan, District Magistrate of Tumakuru, Karnataka, who shared her district’s strides in healthcare. She recalled the challenging circumstances wherein mothers were often left unattended post-delivery for long periods, and detailed how strong interventions ensured a shift to complete institutional deliveries. With improved maternal and infant health indicators, empowerment of the primary healthcare system, and facilitation of digital payments for women street vendors, Tumakuru has set an example of holistic, people-centric governance.
The discussions across both sessions reflected a shared vision of inclusive governance, innovative interventions, and efficient service delivery. The day’s proceedings underscored how district-level leadership, when supported by state and central policies, can bring about transformative impact, leaving no section of society.
Towards the end Additional Chief Secretary General Administration Department Dr. B Rajender congratulated the entire team of Bihar Prashasnik Sudhar Mission for successfully organising two days National Conference on Holistic Development of Districts. Shri Puneet Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances lauded the efforts of Bihar Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Chief Secretary Shri Pratyay Amrit and Development Commissioner Dr. S Siddhartha for hosting a successful Conference for the exchange of best practices of Districts across the nation.