NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said the State Planning Boards and the district level administration will be engaged in achieving the country’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the Administrative Staff College of India on the experience in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, Kumar said the implementation needs a concerted effort from the Central government, States and down to the grassroot level as the larger goal is to eliminate inequality among people.

Of the 29 States, only few have been doing very well and NITI Aayog will seek to ensure that others also try and catch up.

Referring to some of the initiatives, he said the NITI Aayog has identified 120 districts which are very backward. Efforts have been initiated to bring them on par with other developed districts.

On the various efforts taken as part of the SDGs, he said a SDG India Index 2018, with priority indicators, has been drawn up to benchmark developments. As a part of this effort, an Integrated Dashboard will be set up where all the development works can be closely monitored.

The per capita income varies from one State to another. Opportunities in a green hilly State of Nagaland varies from those in an arid State. The focus is to ensure all round development and work as one by ensuring seamless integration.

Referring to skill upgradation and education as a priority area for the Aayog, he said 2,500 Tinkering Labs have been set up in the past two-and-a half years under the Atal Innovation Mission. While the five-year objective is to set up 20,000 such labs in the country, in the next two years the number will be doubled to reach 5,000 labs. More than 18,000 mentor volunteers who come from top institutions, including IITs, get engaged with these centres, he said.

Kumar said Atal Innovation Centres have been set up in the country with each centre getting ₹10 crore. These centres have been linked with various CSIR and science and technology centres for exposure and funding from venture capitalists.

Data integrity

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting at the Administrative Staff College of India, Chief Economic Advisor KV Subramanian said, “We need to judiciously prioritise and adopt goals and targets in accordance with national circumstances, capacities and resources available.”

The CEA highlighted the importance of not just finances in implementing the strategic development goals (SDG) but also data integrity which was crucial for benchmarking one State with another as one heads towards a data based governance.

Referring to the focus on climate change, the CEA said “India has set a target of reduce emission intensity on its GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level. While seeking to achieve about 40 per cent of electric power capacity installed from non fossil rules by 2030, it is also seeking to create additional carbon sink by increasing tree cover.”

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