CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has asked its departments to include 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that aim to build a more prosperous, more equal, and more secure world by 2030 in its policy notes.This comes after NITI Aayog, the Union government’s premier think-tank entrusted with the task of coordinating SDGs, told states to map their schemes, including the centrally-sponsored ones, relating to sustainable development goals and their targets.
Sources indicated that all secretaries of various departments of the State have been asked by the State planning department to include the SDGs in the policy note as part of a capacity development initiative mooted by the Central planning agency.The 17 SDGs and 169 targets are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by 193 member states at the UN General Assembly Summit in September 2015, and which came into effect on January 1, 2016.
The SDGs and targets will stimulate action in core areas, which include poverty, hunger, education, health and well-being, gender equality, water and sanitation, energy, economic growth and decent work, infrastructure, industry and innovation, reducing inequalities, sustainable cities, consumption and production, climate action, ecosystems, peace and justice and partnership.It is learnt that besides including the SDG in the policy note, the State is also considering sensitising the heads of all departments on planning, implementation and monitoring of SDGs by conducting training programmes with the help of NITI Aayog.
Similarly, a two-day programme to sensitise district-level officials of rural development, health, education, industry, MSMEs, agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy and forest is being mooted to be conducted by the State Institute of Rural Development in Marimalai Nagar.State governments are key to achieve India’s progress on the SDG agenda as they are best placed to put people first and to ensure that no one is left behind. Many of the government’s flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat, Make in India, Skill India and Digital India are at the core of SDGs, sources said.