The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), in collaboration with NITI Aayog under the State Support Mission, inaugurated the Viksit Bharat Strategy Room (VBSR) and announced the winners of the Use Case Challenge Awards under the NITI for States platform.

The event was inaugurated by B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, in the presence of Sriram Taranikanti, Director of LBSNAA, senior NITI officials, faculty members, and District Collectors and Magistrates from Aspirational Districts and Blocks.

The Viksit Bharat Strategy Room has been designed as a dynamic governance hub for officer trainees. Serving as an extension of the Strategy Room established at NITI Aayog, the facility integrates multi-sectoral data to enable real-time monitoring, planning, and decision-making. By embedding this initiative within LBSNAA, the project aims to familiarise young officers with evidence-based policymaking and cultivate a culture of data-driven governance.

The event also celebrated the spirit of grassroots innovation through the NITI for States Use Case Challenge Awards, which recognised outstanding data-led governance models from across India’s districts. Conducted between December 2024 and February 2025, the Challenge invited District Magistrates and Collectors from Aspirational Districts and Blocks to identify local challenges, analyse them using data, and design scalable, replicable solutions.

The Challenge received over 250 submissions across six key themes — health and nutrition, education, agriculture and allied services, infrastructure, social development, and financial inclusion with skill development. At the ceremony, 18 districts were felicitated for their winning use cases, which are now documented on the NITI for States portal and showcased across the Strategy Room network.

These winning entries highlight how data-driven decision-making can address diverse local issues, from improving learning outcomes to enhancing service delivery at the grassroots.

The Strategy Room and Use Case Challenge initiatives are designed to complement one another — while the Strategy Room offers a real-time platform for officers to engage with governance data, the Use Case Challenge contributes field-tested, innovative solutions that can be replicated across states.

Together, they strengthen the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, empowering states and districts with the tools, systems, and mindset required to achieve evidence-based, outcome-oriented governance across India.