The Niti Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) has ranked Kerala's Wayanad district #1. According to district collector A Geeta, the district achieved the feat due to rapid progress in the health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and skill development sectors.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents the constituency in parliament, took to Twitter to laud the achievement. “Our collective efforts to roll out people-centric initiatives aimed at providing last-mile accessibility has made this achievement possible,” he tweeted. He said he spoke to the district collector in detail about this.

Wayanad was selected from among 112 districts across the country, according to Niti Aayog. The Union government launched the ADP in January 2018 with the goal of improving the human development index, raising citizens' living standards, and ensuring inclusive growth for all.

Every month, the Niti Aayog reviews several growth parameters, monitors the situation, and selects the leader. The selection process incorporates five core themes: health and nutrition, education, agriculture, and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development, and basic infrastructure. “Rahul Gandhi takes a keen interest in all these sectors and monitors the situation closely. Once the district was notorious for malnutrition but now, we have bridged the gap effectively,” said MP office secretary Augustine Pulpally.