The Aspirational Districts Programme promotes 'competitive federalism' by:
- Punishing underperforming districts by cutting funds
- Publishing district rankings based on development indicators to motivate improvement through peer comparison
- Centralizing all decision-making at Union level
- Eliminating State role in district development
Answer: Publishing district rankings based on development indicators to motivate improvement through peer comparison
Competitive federalism in Aspirational Districts: (a) Ranking mechanism: (i) Districts ranked monthly on progress across 5 themes (Health, Education, Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure), (ii) Rankings public on digital dashboard, enabling peer comparison, (iii) Top performers recognized; laggards motivated to improve, (b) Features enabling competition: (i) Real-time Transparent, comparable metrics, (ii) Best practices sharing: Top districts mentor others, (iii) Prabhari officers: Senior officials provide targeted support, (iv) Monthly reviews: Progress tracking, problem-solving, (c) Impact: (i) Improved indicators: Institutional deliveries, school enrollment, crop productivity increased in many districts, (ii) Peer learning: Successful strategies replicated across districts, (iii) Political ownership: CMs, MPs engage with district performance, (d) Balance: Competition motivates improvement; collaboration ensures support for laggards; illustrates cooperative-competitive federalism: States/districts compete on development while collaborating on solutions. Illustrates governance innovation: data-driven competition accelerating development in backward regions.