A state-level workshop on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for the Northeast region was organized at the Assam Administrative Staff College under the aegis of Transformation and Development Department in collaboration with NITI Aayog recently.
Inaugurating the workshop Assam’s additional chief secretary Paban Kumar Borthakur stated that in a welfare state, development of the society in all aspect human indices like food, nutrition, health, education, sanitation etc is very important.
However, places and communities which have lagged behind in areas of development need utmost importance and special planning and focus is needed for their development and only then could there be an egalitarian society.
Reflecting on the SDG indexes of NITI Aayog, Borthakur stated that the government has been laying great emphasis on improving the state-level indicators and yet there is a lot to do in terms of achieving the SDG goals.
Sanyukta Sammadar, adviser (SDG) of NITI Aayog in her speech gave a detailed account of indicators, data availability and performance of the state in various indicators of the state.
She further stated that though Assam has been one of the front runners in adopting SDG goals as adopted by the UN and subsequently by India, more focus and collaborated effort is needed to achieve the targeted goals.
She, however, added that good progress has been made in certain key indicators.
The meeting was attended by various departments of the state and offered their views on goals and indexes related to their department.
Assam’s principal secretary M Ariz Ahammed attended the technical session with the officers of different departments and sought their cooperation.
It may be stated that SDG was adopted by 193 countries including India with an avowed commitment to improving the human and economic indices like health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation, generating employment safeguarding environment and agriculture among others.
Assam was one of the first states to adopt sustainable development goals.
Recognizing the great beneficial impacts of SDGs on the health, prosperity and well being of every citizen of Assam and also on conservation of the state’s unique biodiversity, the state government has adopted the SDGs from January 2016.
