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BPSC CONCEPT WALLAH

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Value added materials for Essay

Anecdotes & Case Study
Source: Niti Ayog Best Practices

Table of Contents
Sl No. Area Page No.
1 Education 2
2 Agriculture & Allied practices 7
3 Health & Nutrition 11
4 Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure 20
5 Governance 25

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EDUCATION
1. AAKAR: RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FOR DIFFERENTLY ABLED STUDENTS District: Sukma
in Chhattisgarh

To ensure inclusion of differently-abled students and to reduce their dropout

rates, the Aspirational District of Sukma has started Aakar Residential School.
The district has identified nearly 800 differently-abled children and enrolled
them in this School. Apart from education, the School undertakes other
special activities catering to the overall need of these children including
therapies for their cognitive development. Aakar School has specialised
professionals including a physiotherapist and occupational therapist for
catering to the needs of students with locomotor disability; an audiologist to
help hearing impaired children; a psychologist to help mentally disabled
children and special educators to facilitate day-to-day learning. Aakar
School also has a Paralympics standard ground that provides an opportunity
to students for excelling in sports and using it for dancing and other arts-
based therapy for students with cerebral palsy and mental illness. The
building has been designed in a way to ensure that accessibility is not a
constraint.
2. BAL SANSAD District(s): Shrawasti and Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh
Bal Sansad has been established in more than 3,200 schools across the
District of Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh. It provides a platform to young students
to express their views on various issues like family, school, society, good
values among other things. Students are not only informed about their rights
as a citizen but also encouraged to speak freely about them. Bal Sansad also
provides an opportunity to experience voting process as the school prefects
and other office-bearers are elected through secret ballot, thus sensitising
the young minds to absorb the idea of democracy. The initiative is promoting
inclusiveness among students as they are encouraged to participate in
school assemblies and cleanliness drives as a team. This initiative, pioneered
by the Aspirational Districts of Shrawasti and Bahraich, is now being
replicated across many other districts of UP.

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3. BALA IMPLEMENTATION District(s): All Aspirational Districts of Uttar Pradesh

(pictures are from Shrawasti)
Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh has adopted BALA (Building as Learning Aid) which
is an innovative concept for teaching through child-friendly, learning and
fun-based physical environment by building new infrastructure or
refurbishing the existing School and Anganwadi buildings. The concept was
originally developed by Vinyas, Centre for Agricultural Research and Design
with the support of UNICEF. BALA includes development of the entire physical
environment of the School – indoor, outdoor and semi-open spaces. It is
departure from the traditional thinking that School buildings are only bricks
and mortar units meant to provide shelter and safe environment for
teaching. It leverages the physical space as a resource in the teaching-
learning process, for instance, using windowgrills to practically depict simple
mathematical concepts or using the classroom walls to colourfully represent
stories and vital information. Many districts across the country have also
adopted this approach to rejuvenate the Anganwadis and Primary Schools
by making them attractive for children and providing vibrant colourful
spaces which has greatly improved the retention rates in schools.

4. ‘BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO’ CITIZEN RECOGNITION District: Firozpur in Punjab

In order to raise awareness about the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign,
the District Administration has undertaken an innovative and inspiring
measure. Graffitis of women with remarkable achievements in profession or
studies are painted on the walls of over-bridges in Firozpur, highlighting their
achievements. Reading the success stories is very inspiring and motivates
the local girls/women with a spirit to excel in their studies/profession and
attain public recognition. It also makes parents, proud of their daughters
whose stories are painted/highlighted. Additionally, two roundabouts in the
city have been dedicated to ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign, wherein
statues on different themes of ‘a mother nurturing a girl child’ and ‘a girl child
studying’ have been erected. These statues are continuously acting as
catalysts in imbibing value of ‘a mother’s care for a girl child’, and ‘the
importance of girls getting proper education’. This move, by the

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Administration is to promote social awakening about the importance of girl

children, their education and the need to have a balanced sex ratio.
5. LIBRARY CAMPAIGN – EDUCATION FOR CHANGE District: Sitamarhi in Bihar
Given the fact that books are the greatest friends of mankind and reading
helps one experience the world around; the Aspirational District of Sitamarhi
in Bihar has taken education for all as an impacting indicator. The district has
initiated a Library campaign in two phases to enhance the imagination of
kids and making them ready to face the world. In Phase-I, the district has built
1,431 Model Libraries & in Phase-II, the district will have 600 Model Libraries to
cover 100% Schools. The District Administration is making continuous efforts
to motivate and encourage individuals of all age groups to overcome all the
other social barriers and benefit from the Libraries. It has converted into a
mass movement with teachers wholeheartedly participating in it.

6. MOTIVATIONAL CAMPAIGNS TO INCREASE SCHOOL ENROLMENTS Balrampur

District Administration launched the ‘Padhe Balrampur, Badhe Balrampur’
campaign involving district officials, teachers, parents, students and
members of the civil society to help spread awareness about the importance
of good education. Parents of unschooled kids were motivated to send their
kids to schools, as a result of which around 54,000 previously out-of-school
students got enrolled in schools with dramatic improvement in the
attendance rates. Similarly, Siddharthnagar District Administration launched
the ‘Main Saksham Hoon’ campaign, specifically targeted at motivating
parents to send their kids to schools. The schools also made it a point to
involve parents in monitoring the performance and progress of their child,
thus making them feel involved in their child’s education. District(s):
Balrampur and Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

7. PROJECT SECOND INNINGS District: Dahod in Gujarat

Project Second Innings was launched by the Dahod District Administration to

increase attendance of students in schools and their learning outcomes.
Retired teachers voluntarily sign-up for teaching primary and upper primary
classes in various subjects including languages and Mathematics. 517 such
teachers have already signed up, and more are expected to join. Migration

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of labour being a major problem in Dahod, children in schools don’t get

parental attention in studies. The initiative aims to bridge this gap by taking
help from retired teachers. The Administration actively helps retired teachers
for enrolling in this initiative. The initiative has led to rise in the pass
percentage of students from 37.35 to 49.18 in the district apart from breathing
new life in the lives of retired teachers and students.
8. SMART CLASSROOMS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN District: Ranchi in
Jharkhand Low literacy of Braille is a global challenge and has far-reaching
implications on the economy of a country. The Government of Jharkhand in
an endeavour to tackle this challenge, has installed 20 Braille-teaching
devices in a Government Blind School in Ranchi. Indian Angel Network and
Anand Mahindra backed start-up, Thinkerbell Labs have supported the
Jharkhand Government in this initiative. The initiative aims at bringing
cutting-edge technology to improve learning outcomes for K-12 visually
impaired children. The devices teach Hindi Braille and English Braille to
children, through Hindi as the medium of instruction. Annie has been received
with great enthusiasm and fervour by the students, teachers and school
administration. The interactive audio-tactile content has reinvigorated their
interest in learning Braille and has introduced them to the concept of self-
learning which was completely missing in Braille education. The device
comes with gamified content which makes self-learning easier and
connectivity, which allows users’ progress to be tracked by teachers, parents
and other key government stakeholders via an intuitive dashboard. The
content can be easily localised to any language and dialect, making the
solution truly global. As Braille literacy rate is directly correlated to
employability rate of the visually impaired, it will be promising to see the
extent of improvement in the employability of the visually impaired through
this efficient Braille education system.

9. SHIKSHA SAARTHI YOJNA District: Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh Shortage of

teachers in schools of rural areas is a major reason for poor learning
outcomes. The main reason for shortage is that teachers from urban areas
are unwilling to move to rural areas due to lack of infrastructural facilities. To
address this issue and ensure availability of teachers in primary schools,
Shiksha Saarthi Yojna was launched. After the appointment of Shiksha

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Saarthis in 16 primary schools, student enrolments, attendance and

proficiency level in all subjects have risen. The District Administration has
received extremely positive feedback and overwhelming response from all
quarters for this initiative

10. TEACH GAJAPATI: A JAN ANDOLAN FOR QUALITY EDUCATION District: Gajapati in
Odisha

In a district plagued with teacher vacancies, the Government of Odisha

launched the ‘Teach Gajapati’ campaign under the ‘Mo School’ Abhiyaan. It
is an initiative where the alumni of respective schools, interested public and
community at large, participate in the overall development of schools. The
volunteer-driven programme employs several methods to generate a
bottom-up movement for social accountability including incentives such as
contributing double the amount as a matching share to the ‘donated
amount’, community awareness, plantation activities and cleanliness drives.
Interested persons willing to teach voluntarily, in due consultation with the
school can become part of this movement and render their services as
‘voluntary teacher’. Their services will include taking 15 periods, conducting
one assessment test and evaluating students thereof. Such volunteer-driven
programmes have significantly helped in improving the quality of education
and making it more participative.
AGRICULTURE
1. AGRICULTURE ENTREPRENEUR SCHEME District: Ramgarh in Jharkhand

The Agriculture Entrepreneur Scheme is a promising example of coordination

between District Administration, CSOs and local citizens to develop a sustainable
and scalable model of Agricultural development. The scheme involves imparting
training to selected ‘Agri-Entrepreneurs’ for incorporation of best practices in
farming for a cost-effective and profitable model of Agricultural development. The
Agri-Entrepreneur Project is being run by a CSO, TRI (Transform Rural India) wherein
a farmer out of 100 is selected from a village and trained in all activities related to
Agriculture, in a farm-tomarket model, thereby encouraging best practices, efficient
resource management, informed decision-making and minimal reliance on
middlemen. The model is proving to be an inspiration for the local community as
more and more farmers are keen on adopting the best practices such as mixed-

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cropping of fruits and vegetables, drip irrigation, etc. The Agri-Entrepreneur model
apart from enabling the younger generation in identifying the viability and
economic success of farming practices in the district, has also proven to induce a
behavioural change in the farmers by reversing the trend of rural-urban migration
2. CLEAN GOALPARA, GREEN GOALPARA

District: Goalpara in Assam

In order to protect and improve the environment, District Administration Goalpara,
along with the Department of Social Forestry, Civil Society and citizens came
together and planted more than 12.6 lakh saplings in mission mode within a period
of 20 days; surpassing the target of 12 lakh (one person, one sapling) sapling
plantation. Saplings have been planted across the district along highways, schools,
health centres, forest lands and villages. Planted saplings include medicinal plants,
fruit bearing trees, valuable wood and ornamental plants. As a result of this unique
initiative, forest coverage area of Goalpara has increased from 19% to 23%
3. ENHANCING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH HIGH-DENSITY FARMING

District: Kupwara in UT of Jammu & Kashmir

In a bid to improve agricultural productivity and maximise utilisation of resources,
best practices in farming are being promoted and developed in Kupwara District.
Awareness drives to educate farmers about the benefits of high-density farming
and the proactive involvement of the District Administration has helped in
accelerating development in the Agricultural sector. This has been effectively
implemented by converting traditional seedling-based orchards into high-density
orchards, producing up to thrice the harvest of traditional orchards. Each kanal can
now cater to 100-150 plants. The best practice has proven to create a success story,
especially for crops like apples and walnuts, that is being emulated by other districts.
4. POTABLE WATER TO HOUSEHOLDS IN HILLY AND TRIBAL REGIONS THROUGH GRAVITY
FLOW SYSTEM

District: Kalahandi in Odisha

Under this project, water from springs is collected and distributed for drinking and
irrigation purposes through gravity flow system taking advantage of the undulating
terrain. Perennial stream water is harnessed in an elevated zone and utilising gravity
power, water is brought to the lower-level through PVC pipe along with contours,
intermittent outlets and controlling devices. Locals are involved in the whole process
from survey to implementation. The Integrated Tribal Development Agency with the
support of District Planning and Monitoring Unit has applied this technology to the

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hilly regions of the district to make it durable and cost-effective. During the last three
years, 88 projects have been implemented in tribal-populated Thuamul, Rampur
and Lanjigarh blocks, benefitting 24 villages and 12 Ashram schools. 36 more
projects are in the pipeline for different villages. Each project is able to provide water
to almost five acres of land and villagers receive potable drinking water through
standposts.
5. GREEN RIDER FOR GUN LICENSE

District: Firozpur in Punjab

To nudge citizen’s behaviour for environmental protection and increase the green
cover, the District Administration of Firozpur has taken an innovative environmental
initiative, which is gaining ground. Tapping on to the inclination of Firozpur residents
to possess firearms, the Administration has created a process that involves planting
of trees as a mandatory step before accepting applications for further review. It’s a
three-stage process: firstly, the applicant desirous of an Arms License has to plant
10 saplings; take selfie of these planted saplings and thereafter, submit an
application along with the pictures to the Administration; secondly, after 30 days the
applicant has to take and submit another selfie with the growing plants to prove
that he has been taking their care. Thirdly, officials visit the site for verification.
Thereafter, other procedures as per the extant rules for Arms License are undertaken.
Till now, around 10,000 trees have already been planted and more are in the pipeline,
with growing number of applications. This initiative was adopted to augment the
efforts of the State to increase the green cover from existing 7% to targeted 20%. The
innovative process is currently for new applications only and will be soon introduced
for renewal of existing Arms License as well.
6. HORTICULTURE PRICE AGREEMENT INITIATIVE

District: Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh

To make farming a profitable venture, the Horticulture Price Agreement Initiative was
launched by the Aspirational District of Chhatarpur. The initiative has forward and
backward linkages and guarantees procurement at maximum price & partnership
in local micro processing units for farmers, while generating employment for the
local youth. The target groups in this Scheme are small and marginal farmers,
families with female head, families with specially challenged people as head of the
family and farmers of deprived castes. Together, they constitute more than 85% of
the farming population of the district and therefore, the Scheme is directly
impacting the growth trajectory of the district.
7. SARVAJAL PROJECT FOR PROVIDING SAFE DRINKING WATER

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District: Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand

As a part of its water conservation initiatives, the District Administration of Udham
Singh Nagar along with Piramal Sarvajal has launched the ‘Sarvajal Project’. The
project involves installation of customised and decentralised drinking water
solutions. It leverages technology to bring community-level safe drinking water to
the underserved. The solar-powered, cloud-connected water dispensing kiosks
installed under the project have enabled citizens residing in remote areas,
accessibility to clean palatable water. The District Administration has been
encouraging schools to participate in the awareness drives, where school children
promote the message of water conservation and best practices through
campaigns. The Sarvajal Project has enabled the District
8. Administration to develop sustainable infrastructure to provide piped water
supply powered by solar energy to villages.

SCIENTIFIC SERICULTURE – ENHANCING LIVELIHOOD

District: Mamit in Mizoram
Mamit is weaving the path towards development through Scientific Sericulture
practices. The district is working towards creating gainful employment opportunities
for the locals & increasing Mizoram’s silk production capacity. Sericulture in India is
a fairly organised activity and is largely rural-based and labour-intensive. Scientific
Sericulture has effectively impacted the rural women of the district thus providing
them with sustainable livelihood and income generation. To encourage Sericulture
among the farmers of Mizoram, the Central Silk Board has introduced a new Scheme
of Sericulture Project called Intensive Bivoltine Sericulture Development Project
(IBSDP) for permanent economic settlement. This has been substantiated with a
web-based platform SILKS, which is a single window, ICT-based information &
advisory services system for farmers practising Sericulture. Major objectives of SILKS
is to provide computerised information storage, value addition & supply Sericulture
to the farmers; planning and advisory services in formats & language appropriate
for the local Sericulturist and finally supply the information and advisory services
through internet and satellite-based communications. This has made valuable
contribution in development of the Aspirational District of Mamit.
9. ‘TAANKA’ TECHNIQUE FOR WATER CONSERVATION

Sonbhadra is the first district in Uttar Pradesh to employ the traditional ‘Taanka’
technique for rainwater harvesting and water conservation. Popular in the water-
parched State of Rajasthan, Sonbhadra has replicated this practice and is in the
process of building more than 5,000 suck taankas and equal number of ponds

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across the water-starved district. Taankas are underground rainwater storage tanks
up to the capacity of 25,000 litres. This initiative follows the standard rainwater
harvesting technique wherein rainwater from rooftops is collected through gutters
and then made to pass through a sieve before being stored. Use of taankas has
helped the district save enough water for lean summer months when the water
demand is at its peak and supply invariably falls short. This initiative is a marked
departure from the temporary respite provided by water tankers and is a significant
step towards long-term sustainable use of water resources in the district.

HEALTH & NUTRITION

1. AROGYA KUNJI District: Chatra in Jharkhand

Arogya Kunji, an initiative undertaken by Aspirational District Chatra, is an

endeavour to ensure accessibility and availability of healthcare facilities in
the district. Given that certain regions of the State are still underdeveloped,
tribals in these areas do not have access to modern healthcare facilities. To
offer respite to the people living in these affected areas, the State
Government has designed and developed a new Medical Kit scheme,
named Sahiya Arogya Kunji Yojana. This is a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed
at poor and deprived citizens of the district, for providing Medical Kits and
efficient Ambulance services across the district. Arogya Kunji has greatly
improved the outreach and efficacy of timely medical aid and healthcare
services in rural areas of this district. Such interventions in the Health &
Education sectors are kickstarting a new wave of development in the
Aspirational Districts.
2. CENTRALISED KITCHENS FOR BETTER NUTRITION District: Nandurbar in
Maharashtra

In order to tackle deep-rooted problems of Malnourishment and Anaemia in

the tribal dominated Aspirational District of Nandurbar, the Tribal
Department, under the aegis of District Administration has attempted to
address the issue by establishing a Centralised Kitchen to provide hot and
nutritious meals to children in residential schools, also known as Ashram
Shalas. Operational since April 2019, the programme has enabled Nandurbar
to perform well on Health indicators pertaining to the reduction of Severe

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Acute Malnourishment and Moderate Acute Malnourishment in the district.

The Centralised Kitchen is a joint initiative of the Tribal Development
Department and Stri Shakti to provide healthy and nutritious meals in
government Ashram Shalas. This Central Kitchen caters to 28 Ashram
schools with a capacity of more than 11,000 students. The transportation
mechanism with set routes, ensures hot and healthy food to the children. The
Kitchen is equipped with advanced machinery, semi-automatic in nature, in
order to create employment opportunities. The Kitchen strives to maintain
the quality, hygiene and cleanliness of the meal, like a mother feeding her
every child studying in this remote part of Maharashtra.
3. ENGAGEMENT OF BIKE AMBULANCE, AUTO AMBULANCE AND DELIVERY VAN TO
PROMOTE INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERIES District: Kandhamal in Odisha

To avoid delivery on the way to hospitals and encourage Institutional

Deliveries, the Aspirational District of Kandhamal has introduced Delivery
Vans to enable Institutional Deliveries, touted as first-of-its-kind initiative, in
the State. Being a tribal area, traditional healing systems are given more
importance over institutional systems, leading to several deaths. Childbirths
were usually conducted by untrained ‘dais’ in the villages and pregnant
women hardly went to the hospitals for delivery, as community norms treat
childbirth as part of a natural process, not requiring much external
intervention. To bring the community onboard, the district doubled its efforts
for increasing the demand and supply side interventions. On the supply side,
all delivery points were made functional. 5 Bike Ambulances and 11 Janani
Auto vehicles were deployed in outreach pockets. 7 Maternity Waiting Homes
(MWHs) were also established that have significantly contributed to the
Institutional Deliveries. Apart from the ‘108’ and ‘102’ Ambulance service, all
existing vehicles including Government Ambulances, Arogya Plus vehicles,
MHU & MHT vehicles were also engaged to transport pregnant women to the
Government health facilities. On the demand side, awareness generation
activities were undertaken to improve intake of the services provided. The
Bike & Auto Ambulances along with the Delivery Vans in Kandhamal have
improved the last mile connectivity for pregnant mothers. As a result, the rate

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of Institutional Deliveries in Kandhamal is now the highest in the State at 97%

& maternal deaths have reduced by 65%.
4. ESTABLISHING MODEL ANGANWADI CENTRES District: Ramgarh in Jharkhand

The District Administration of Ramgarh has established Model Anganwadi

Centres across blocks to encourage best practices in management and
improve learning outcomes. In terms of improving learning outcomes, BALA
(Building as a Learning Aid) in Anganwadis has proved as a shining example
of how Government-sponsored facilities can be made at par with private
educational institutions. These Anganwadis also host regular outreach and
awareness campaigns in the community to promote better health and
hygiene, such as VHSNDs (Village, Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Days) that
have been benefiting families across blocks. The Model Anganwadis include
an upgraded in-house kitchen where nutritious meals are prepared for
children to ensure a balanced diet. In addition, spaces around the premises
such as front yard of the Anganwadis have been developed into a vegetable
garden for optimal utilisation of the space and to ensure incorporation of
freshly grown produce in the diets being provided to the children

5. ‘HAMAR SWASTHYA’: APP THAT MAINTAINS MEDICAL RECORDS District:

Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh

To identify numerous undetected Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs), the

Aspirational District of Rajnandgaon has launched the ‘Hamar Swasthya’ App
to make people’s health cards available to the doctors and health workers.
In the year 2017-18, 8,966 cases of diabetes and 6,871 cases of hypertension
were identified in a single day during health camps conducted across all the
Panchayats. The cases of NCDs were rapidly increasing due to late/non-
detection and lack of awareness about available treatments. To address this
issue, the ‘Hamar Swasthya’ App was launched for early detection of
diseases and register the medical record of patients, so that doctors and
health workers have access to the medical history of patients and initiate
timely treatment and subsequent follow-ups.

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6. HOSTELS FOR PREGNANT TRIBAL WOMEN District: Vizianagaram in Andhra

Pradesh

A number of villages in Vizianagaram are very remote and lack proper road
connectivity. Earlier, pregnant women of these villages were carried by dollies
resulting in many casualties with very high maternal mortality rate.
Thereafter, the District Administration along with the Integrated Tribal
Development Agency came up with the idea of constructing Hostels for
pregnant women of these villages. All the frontline workers including ASHAs
and Anganwadis are creating awareness among the villagers about these
Hostels. Pregnant women are brought to the Hostel one month prior to the
Expected Delivery Date (EDD). There, they are provided with home-like care
and support along with nutritional food and intensive medical care, under
the close observation of gynaecologists. Separate ambulances have been
allotted to these Hostels. Post-delivery, the mother and child are shifted to
their homes by Talli Bidda Express. So far, around 100 women from hill-top
villages have been taken care by in these Hostels. The Hostels are evoking
good response from the tribes. Pregnant women admitted have expressed
great satisfaction over the facilities being provided in these Hostels

7. KALPANA PROGRAMME FOR BETTER HEALTH District: Dhenkanal in Odisha

Pregnant women at the Aspirational District of Dhenkanal were prone to skip

radiology tests due to inaccessibility. To facilitate these women, the District
Administration enabled mechanism for mandatory Ultrasound Sonography
(USG) testing for all pregnant women by scheduling mass USG test dates
across the sub-district hospitals under the Kalpana Programme. Bringing all
pregnant women together at these hospitals resulted in discussions
regarding their lifestyle, food habits and sharing of experiences. Established
in January 2019 in the District Headquarters Hospital of Dhenkanal, ‘Kalpana
Poshan Kendra’ derives its name from Kalpana Dash (renowned
mountaineer). It is based on the concept of establishing Nutritional
Rehabilitation Centres under the umbrella programme of National Health
Mission. Kalpana Poshan Kendra helps in recovering the lost weight of

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children through intensive feeding of therapeutic food (rich in

micronutrients) supplements. Capacity building of primary care givers in
preparing home-made nutritious food from locally available ingredients and
counselling of mothers on family planning are also conducted here. The
Kalpana Programme has been instrumental in improving the sex ratio from
852 in March 2018 to 972 in August 2019. This has been possible due to mass
community awareness programmes across Dhenkanal advocating the
message of ‘gender equality’, to change the predominant societal mindset
of preference for a male child.

8. KANYA TARU YOJANA District: Hailakandi in Assam

For encouraging Hospital Delivery and discouraging Home Delivery, parents

of girl children born in any of the Government Hospitals of Aspirational District
of Hailakandi were gifted with 5 saplings (Coconut, Litchi, Assam Lemon,
Guava & Amla). Parents were asked to take care of the saplings like their
daughters. The fruits of the trees can be used to feed the child to develop her
immunity through Vitamin C in Amla, fight malnutrition by Coconut and the
profits earned from the sales could be redirected to investing in the girl’s
education and improving green cover of the district. It was an effort by the
district to quell the disappointment of citizens on the birth of a girl child and
instead commemorate her birth as ‘Ghar ki Lakshmi’ with jubilance and
glorification of “Girlforce–Unstoppable”, which was the theme for 2019.
9. NARMADA TRANSFORMATION CORPS District: Narmada in Gujarat
With an aim to mobilise the youth for local development, the District
Administration formed the Narmada Transformation Corps (NTC); a group of
young volunteers registered under a single platform belonging to different
interfaces such as NSS, NCC, NYK, ASHA, Anganwadi Workers and other social
and rural streams. The tagline ‘Hajavana Narmada, Lekharya Narmada’ in
local Dehvali dialect is used to connect with the youth. Local NTC Volunteers
work as Shiksha-Saathi to support more than 300 schools by providing one
additional teacher in each school. The Shiksha-Saathis teach after regular
school hours in the prevalent tribal dialect. Under NTC, various skill

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development workshops including bamboo product making and hospitality

training for eco-tourism are held to increase employability of the youth.

10. PROJECT ANGAN District: Chatra in Jharkhand

Parents in Chatra District had developed a passive attitude in sending their
children to Anganwadi Centres due to their dilapidated and unhygienic
conditions. Likewise, children also displayed disinclination towards going to
these centres. With the idea of constructing Model AWCs and remodelling
the existing ones, the District Administration initiated “Project Angan” in
Chatra District. The broad vision of the initiative is to transform the
Anganwadi Centres into interactive and child-friendly learning spaces,
where children are provided with utmost facilities. It involves imparting the
best form of preschool learning to the remotest parts of the district. A total of
40 AWCs were selected under the project for redevelopment using the DMFT
(District Mineral Funds) in Tandwa and Simariya blocks. These AWCs have
been equipped with Integrated Learning Materials (IML), Information and
Communications Technology (ICT)-enabled teaching and learning, BALA,
healthy and nutritious foods, etc. Besides these, the spaces have been
transformed into conducive centres where tiny tots get ample opportunity to
enjoy their early phase of education

11. SANITARY NAPKIN PRODUCTION BY SHGs District: Hailakandi in Assam

Women in SHGs in the Aspirational District of Hailakandi have undertaken the
manufacturing of hygienic low-cost Sanitary Napkins. Apart from
empowering them and other women, this has significantly improved the
awareness regarding menstruation and personal hygiene. The number of
Sanitary Napkins manufactured by SHGs is enough to cater to all women
associated with different SHGs throughout the district. This initiative has
ensured hygienic menstrual days for majority of women in the district.

12. THE CHILD PROTECTION UNIT – CHILDREN FIRST District: Muzaffarpur in Bihar
The Child Protection Unit in the district is a fundamental unit implementing
integrated role on child rights, health and education. This unit apart from
mobilising the community, emphasizes the importance of gender equality,

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mortality and also on other critical Health indicators including pre & post-
natal, mother and child healthcare. The community members are sensitised
using informative videos during daily Panchayats & Ratri Chaupals. The
number of participants in these activities has significantly increased, with
girls and women pro-actively spreading awareness and practicing them too.

13. THE DIARRHOEA FIGHT – SWASTH BEGUSARAI District: Begusarai in Bihar

Diarrhoea, was a major cause of death in India, contributing to an average

of 15.5% of total deaths from 1990 to 2016. Begusarai District in Bihar has taken
up the fight against this disease. Marching on the idea of the Hon’ble Prime
Minister for making social cause as a Mass Movement, Begusarai District
pledged to eradicate this disease from its root, and has therefore, marked a
fortnight for creating awareness for its prevention. Everyone in the District,
from school students to frontline workers, to local people, has participated to
make it a Jan Andolan. Women from Frontline Health Workers and Self-Help
Groups are creating awareness by encouraging mothers to use ORS and Zinc
solutions for better health of their children. During the Intensified Diarrhoea
Control Fortnight, students encourage everyone in their family and
neighbours to practice safe sanitation. The Aspirational District of Sheikhpura
has also taken inspiration from Begusarai and replicated the idea of making
a few days focused on Diarrhoea in order, to fight and eradicate it.

14. ‘DAKSHATA’ INITIATIVE TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY District: Gadchiroli in

Maharashtra
Gadchiroli faces a distinct issue of High Maternal Mortality, significantly
higher than even the State average (136 in Gadchiroli vs. 68 at the State level).
In areas with challenging road connectivity due to dense forests, scattered
populations in small pockets, and heavy rainfall, the District Administration
enabled the Dakshata Initiative in 2016-17 to find solutions to this multi-
pronged problem. The initiative focuses on Capacity Building for supply side
frontline workers, routine tracking of pregnant women to enable safe
deliveries, analytical exercises to examine the causal factors and bottlenecks
to efficient health service delivery, and effective decentralisation in decision-

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making, allowing village level contextual needs to be translated to planning

interventions at the Block and District level. At all levels, pregnant mothers
were tracked; due to which all the sub-centres and PHC ANMs displayed a list
of pregnant mothers. This information was also communicated to other sub-
centres in case of a different expected place of delivery. Causal data
collected from all institutes in the district revealed that the major causes of
maternal death in the district were severe Anaemia, Septicaemia and SCD
Disease. After analysis, an Action Plan was prepared to address key
bottlenecks. Preventable death causes like PIH, PPH and Sepsis were given
priority. Phase-I of the Dakshata Initiative involved ‘Capacity Building’ to
tackle supply side interventions for better health. Areas with language
barriers were identified and it was ensured that the ASHA and traditional
‘Dais’ were able to communicate in the local language. The effective and
strategic implementation of Dakshata training led to skill enhancement of
frontline workers (ASHA and ANM) and MOs of the Health Department.

15. AMA SANKALPA (AN INITIATIVE TO REDUCE THE INFANT AND MATERNAL DEATH)
District: Rayagada in Odisha

Rayagada, a mineral-rich district in the southern part of Odisha has a

predominant tribal population of 57.52%. Apart from Odia, several adivasi
languages like Kui, Kondha, Soura are spoken in the district. All 11 blocks of the
district are covered under the Tribal Sub-plan. As citizens were not availing
health services due to poor connectivity, non-availability of referral systems
in hard to reach areas, and low literacy, the District Administration developed
a specific Action Plan to identify the real beneficiaries to uplift their standards
by reducing IMR and MMR. The programme relies on a bottom-up demand-
driven approach to improve uptake, with IEC & BCC relevant methods. Three
‘Ama Sankalpa Ratha’ Yatras were organised to spread a message about
the precautionary measures for maternal and child health. This was
accompanied by folk shows on District-specific issues played at the village
level through which Health messages were disseminated. In addition to this,
supply side interventions were also strengthened. 126 Integrated Special

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VHND/RI sessions were conducted in the hard to reach areas (apart from the
regular sessions), where Antenatal, Post Natal, Newborn and Child Health
screening and services, and weekly tracking of high risk pregnancies were
enabled. For the early identification and referral of Severely Acute
Malnourished (SAM) children between 6 months to 6 years; a special plan
‘Project Surjyamukhi’ under Ama Sankalpa was prepared. Under the special
plan tracking Red & Yellow Zone children, facilities to provide therapeutic
treatment and counselling were imparted, under the guidance of technical
assistants to improve the nutritional status of each child in the district

16. MISSION API – 10: REDUCTION OF MALARIA District: Koraput in Odisha

In the Aspirational District of Koraput, the incidents of Malaria-related deaths

were very high due to hilly terrain, forest cover, inadequate health facility
coverage and low education levels of the population. To combat this, Mission
API–10 was launched on July 15, 2017. The two main interventions under API–10
include use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) coupled with supply side
interventions, complemented by bottom-up incentives and nudges such as ‘bell
ringing’ as reminders to use nets and night patrolling by ASHA/AWW/Volunteers.
The health team has also received an ‘Award of Appreciation’ by the State. This
innovative initiative to create awareness about Malaria has brought down the
Annual Parasite Incidence (API) to 2 in the affected area. Extensive sensitisation
was ensured through demonstrations in local markets, posters, Nidhi Ratha and
ral
FINANCIAL INCLUSION & INFRASTRUCTURE
1. ‘ASHA – EK UMEED KI KIRAN’: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT CENTRE

District: Kondagaon in Chhattisgarh

The Aspirational District of Kondagaon established the ‘Asha Centre’ in February 2018 as
a special initiative to empower local women by providing employment. The Centre is
operated in collaboration with the District Project Livelihood College and the District Skill
Development Authority. The Asha Centre comprises five units : i) Garments Stitching
Training- cumProduction Unit; ii) Handloom Weaving Training-cumProduction Unit; iii)
Sanitary Pads Production Unit; iv) Glass Bangles Designing Training-cum-Production
Unit and v) LED Bulb Repair, Assembling Trainingcum-Production Unit. In all the units,
only women have been inducted as trainees/ beneficiaries. Currently, more than 300

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women are working at the Centre. The Centre provides Skill Development Training under
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
(MMKVY) totally free-of-cost. The training duration of these courses vary from 2 to 4
months, post which the trained candidates are employed for production of finished
products like Cloths, Sanitary Pads and Glass Bangles within the training centre. The
main objectives of the initiative are to: i) Increase employability of women in all
category and age group; ii) Generate awareness about various government schemes;
iii) Empower women of the district as many of them have started earning their
livelihoods and iv) Connect remote areas with the mainstream.
2. SETTING UP AN INDUSTRIAL SEWING-MACHINE FACILITY

District: Palamu in Jharkhand

One of the major goals in Left-Wing Extremism affected districts is to create sustainable
livelihood opportunities for the people of the district. In Palamu, people after getting
trained by the State and Central Government under various training programmes,
usually migrate out of the district in search of employment opportunities. To address
this challenge, an Industrial Sewing-Machine unit was set up with the objective of
sustainable livelihood creation using a model that could be emulated in other districts.
The facility fulfils the objective of supplying 2.5 lakh school dresses annually, through a
Producer Group of 200 SHG members. The initiative has been successful in creating
employment opportunities for citizens within the same geography; thereby ensuring
that the economic benefits accrued from their employment is channelled into growth
of the district. This has motivated the skilled and semi-skilled workforce to stay in the
district and contribute to the local economy
3. SOLAR MAMAs

District: Gumla in Jharkhand

In remote districts like Gumla, few hamlets have not yet been electrified due to
scattered settlements, difficult topography and challenges of inaccessibility. To
mitigate this challenge, the District Administration along with an International NGO,
Barefoot College, organised local women in Self-Help Groups(SHGs) and trained them
with skills needed for fabrication of solar panels, lights and photovoltaic circuits. These
women are fondly addressed as Solar Mamas. The first phase of the project involved
solar electrification of 150 unelectrified households. Women were also trained to
practise sustainable livelihoods like bee-keeping and coffee plantation. As a result of
this initiative, women of Gumla District have equipped themselves with skill sets that
ensure a steady income and also greatly helped in providing electricity to those
households which were lingering in darkness.

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4. SOLAR POWER DRIVEN KHAWA CLUSTER TO BOOST MILK INDUSTRY AND SKILL
DEVELOPMENT

District: Osmanabad in Maharashtra

In order to keep themselves afloat during severe draughts, farmers in Osmanabad
District, within a Khawa cluster have come together, as an alternative to selling only
milk. Khoya or Khawa (reduced dry milk) as a product has more demand and shelf life
than milk and every farmer makes a profit for every litre. Farmers have organised
themselves in cooperatives and are pooling their cattle for making Khawa (milk solids)
from their daily milk production. The profit margin is even higher during festivals and
wedding seasons and is distributed according to share of the milk pooled-in by the
farmers. This has led to a massive proliferation of such cooperatives with 150 of them
presently churning out 35,000 kgs. of Khawa per day. The Khawa cluster concept has
boosted the traditional milk industry & also promoted sustainable development, as
modern induction machines are powered by solar energy. The cluster has also helped
in reducing deforestation in the district, as traditional milk and Khawa industry was
running on wood-fired kilns. A Skill Development Centre is also part of the cluster and is
skilling more than 1,000 youth every year and integrating them in the Khawa value-
chain at different levels, also as self-employed individuals

5. CONSTRUCTION OF SUBSURFACE DAMS

District: YSR (Kadapa) in Andhra Pradesh

Kadapa is a drought-prone district in Andhra Pradesh, primarily due to scanty rainfall
and complex geology (impervious rock formation that results in very slow natural
recharge). To address the issue of water shortage, the district has constructed
subsurface dams using Z sheet pilling technology at six locations on River Papagni that
is spread across 34 kms. The subsurface dams have not only played an effective role
in proper utilisation of groundwater resources, but also helped to control undesired
fluctuations of groundwater level. Before implementation of this initiative, the water
table in the adjoining areas of the river was very low, with the flow getting depleted at
a faster rate due to steep gradient of the river. After construction of subsurface dams
with ‘Z’ sheet pile technology, the surface water runoff got percolated to the sand layers
and also in the adjoining alluvium along the river, thereby increasing the water table.
The construction of these subsurface dams has also resulted in increasing the borewell
yields which has in turn led to sustainable irrigation from groundwater, both in the

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Khariff and Rabi seasons. This has led to stabilisation of Paddy crops during Kharif
season and cultivation of Rabi second crop during Irrigable Dry (ID) conditions.
6. IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN TECHNOLOGIES IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

District: Goalpara in Assam

Depleting natural resources and closure of stone quarries had gravely hampered the
progress of allweather roads construction in the district. Despite this challenge, in order
to provide all-weather connectivity to citizens, the district adopted various Green
technologies for construction of roads. Through this measure, apart from reducing
dependence on natural resources and recycling waste plastic, the district has also
been able to bring down the cost of construction and maintenance, thereby leading to
economic benefits for the entire State. The technologies deployed by the district for
construction of roads are: Waste Plastic Technology, Cell Filled Concrete Technology,
Geogrid Technology (Tenax 3D Grids), Cold Mix Technology and Interlocking Concrete
Pavement Block (ICBP).

7. ‘LITER OF LIGHT’ PORTABLE LIGHTS

District: Ranchi in Jharkhand

In a unique initiative taken by the District Administration of Ranchi, women of Self-Help
Groups (SHGs) are being trained to lighten the lives of villagers in the district by
producing portable room lights, designed and developed by the students of Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai. Recycled plastic bottles filled with water and a bit
of bleach are fitted into the roof to provide lighting during the day, while at night, the
same is upgraded with an LED bulb, micro-solar panels and a battery to provide a low-
cost night lighting system. To make the product suitable for tribals, it has been further
modified by attaching a battery and a solar panel, as a portable room light. It has been
designed and fabricated in 36 hours using rudimentary and locally sourced tools and
components at a cost of just ` 110. The District Administration further plans to install a
‘Liter of Light’ in all the toilets built under ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. The solar bottles will
be made available at all Pragya Kendras in the district to provide a ready retail chain.
The Ranchi District Administration and Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society
(JSLPS) have tied up to create a chain of master trainers who would train local SHGs
from other districts to help in the promotion of ‘Liter of Light’ across the State.

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8. PATSENDRI MODEL COLONY: AN INNOVATION THROUGH PMAY

District: Mahasamund in Chhattisgarh

Patsendri is a village in the Saraipalli block of the Mahasamund District. A Model Colony
has been developed under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), with convergence between
various physical work-related schemes and social sector schemes. Further expanding
on this initiative, the District Administration has initiated convergence of various social
sector schemes in Patsendri, and created a self-sustainable model for capacity
building, employment generation, development & positive use of social capital, with a
focus on the Patsendri Community. The Model Colony is a one-stop solution for
transforming lives. Firstly, the convergence of schemes has led to the development of
a Model Colony, wherein the houses, community hall, drainage, CC road have been
built under PMAY, toilets are built under NREGA, electricity connection is provided under
the Saubhagya Yojana, transformers, poles, etc. are provided under the Mukhya Mantri
Majra-Tola Vidyutikaran Yojana, & water supply is provided under the Nal-Jal Yojana by
the Public Health Department. The innovative idea has led to behavioural change
among the owners towards a more cohesive and responsible community. The onus
now lies on the 84 households who manage and maintain the benefits provided by the
schemes and also negotiate for other social capital investment in the colony. The Model
Colony with planned structure has bestowed a feeling of ownership rather than an
individual estranged house.
9. SWAJAL WATER TESTING TRAINING

District: Barpeta, Assam

The greatest threat to public health from Arsenic originates from contaminated
groundwater. High levels of inorganic Arsenic is naturally present in the groundwater of
the Aspirational District of Barpeta in Assam. Contaminated water used for the purpose
of food preparation and drinking pose a great threat to the public. With community
ownership and through participative planning, villagers, especially women in Barpeta,
were sensitised about safe water practices and trained to use Field Testing Kits to
ascertain the quality of drinking water. As an outcome of this initiative, the community
members resolved to get a piped water supply scheme in villages and collected
contribution from all the households. Now, water storage tanks are being constructed
and members from the community have volunteered to monitor the scheme
implementation

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GOVERNANCE
1. BLOCK DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (BDO) SCORECARDS

District: Hazaribagh in Jharkhand

While technology and financial capital are the enabling factors, human capital is the
key driving factor behind any successful organisation. Civil Servants are the first point
of contact for citizens with the Government, and a motivated civil service is the best
instrument to achieve outcomes desired by the State and society. The excellence in
Civil Servants can be retained through motivation, recognition and rewards.
Organisations need to relate rewards directly to the performance to ensure that they
go to the deserving recipients. Monetary incentives may be the “currency of
compensation” but they are not always as effective as the “currency of motivation and
recognition”. To motivate the Block Development Officers (BDOs) who are the true foot
soldiers of rural development in our country, the Hazaribagh District Administration has
taken a first-of-its-kind initiative by devising a ‘BDO Scorecard’ to assess the
performance of the BDOs in a transparent manner while taking into account the
officers’ self-assessment. This step further imparts objectivity and transparency in the
BDOs’ performance assessment. Further, the District Administration has decided to
include this assessment for wholesome evaluation of the BDOs, while framing their
Annual Confidential Reports (ACR).
2. E-ATTENDANCE APPLICATION (LOK SEWAK APP)

District: Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh

The Aspirational District of Khandwa has established a new dimension in the
direction of good governance by using the Lok Sewak App; an e-attendance and
field monitoring tool that uses Geo-tagging technology. Through this App, the
district has ensured presence of Government officials at workplace thereby leading
to significant improvement in the quantum and quality of work and facilitating their
accessibility to the public. The App has also ensured availability of ASHA, Anganwadi
workers, teachers and other key frontline workers involved in implementation of
various programmes. The Portal has more than 8,500 logins per day.
3. INFRASTRUCTURE SNAPSHOT APP

District: Goalpara in Assam

Infrastructure Snapshot App, an innovative Android-based mobile application,
launched by the Goalpara District Administration, is a one-of-its-kind application
developed specifically for monitoring of Public Institutions like Government Offices,
Schools, Health Centres and effective implementation of Government Schemes. The

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App has smart features like GPS location-based service to capture current location in
both online and offline modes with data sync facility, filing grievances for issues
pertaining to infrastructure, recording absence of Government personnel like doctors,
teachers, Anganwadi workers, etc. along with pictorial evidences. The App also serves
as a platform for registering any emergency including disaster alerts, reporting issues
pertaining to domestic violence, etc. The objective of the App is to reduce the gap
between public and the Administration and provide stepping stones for good
governance through harnessing ICT. The App has led to an increment in resolution of
public grievances and fast service delivery to the public. The App has also multiplied
the community’s involvement in uplifting and ameliorating the District Infrastructure
4. ‘WE FOR WAYANAD’ CAMPAIGN FOR EFFECTIVE DISASTER MANAGEMENT

District: Wayanad in Kerala

For a district prone to natural calamities and floods, an effective warning system can
prove to be life-saving for the entire community. The Administration and local
population of Wayanad District have come together and displayed immense
dedication in setting up a 24x7 Control Room under the ambit of “We for Wayanad”. The
initiative boosts awareness about impending disasters, thus enabling the
Administration as well as the local community to plan mitigation in an efficient manner.
In 2018, despite severe floods, the number of casualties were restricted to six due to the
proactive disaster management system set in place through this initiative, and
percolating up to the Panchayat level. A social media campaign was organised under
this banner and set in full throttle to receive maximum support from the civil society.
The programme also included collection of relief materials at designated Reception
Centres set up by the District Administration. The sorting, packaging and distribution of
relief materials was undertaken with the active engagement of officers, volunteers from
NGOs and members of the civil society.
5. MAHA LAND BANK SYSTEM

District: Washim in Maharashtra

The Aspirational District of Washim has created a unique repository of Government
Land on a Portal, as a part of a State-wide programme in Maharashtra. The Land Bank
serves as a repository of information for taking policy decisions on the allocation of
Government Land such as provision of Affordable Housing, Irrigation, Public Supply, Self-
supplied Industries, Aquaculture, Mining, Tree Plantation, etc. The Website is -
mahalandbank. [Link]. It is also a citizen-centric effort and provides
information about all types of Government Land (class of land viz. E, F, G, C, Nazul, City

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survey, etc.). The Land Bank is a major step towards bridging the information
asymmetry on land records and providing valuable information to the citizenry.
6. MEEKOSAM MEALS SCHEME

District: Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh

Labourers and daily wage workers coming to file their grievances and attend
proceedings of the grievance cell every Monday, from places as far as 100 kms. in
Vizianagram District, will henceforth not have to return empty stomach. Seeing their
hardships, the officers in the District Administration decided to contribute to the
genuine cause, for providing meals to the petitioners at a subsidised rate. This initiative
is known as the Meekosam Meals Scheme. More than ` 7 Lakh has been collected by
way of donations from the district officers. For a meal worth ` 28/-, ` 10/- is collected
from the petitioner and balance ` 18 is directly paid to the owner of the canteen. This
initiative has resulted in sharp rise in the number of petitioners attending the grievance
cell meetings.

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