NITI Aayog Leads North-East Workshop to Boost District-Level SDG Action Plans

According to a press release, the inaugural programme was graced by Charan Boro, Minister of Transport and Bodoland Welfare Department, VK Paul, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, Narayan Chandra Borkataky, Vice- Chairman SITA, Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary Assam, Satinder Bhalla, Secretary NEC, Rajib Sen, Programme Director NITI Aayog, Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative UNDP, Dilip Kumar Bora, Secretary T&D, P Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, CEO SITA , among others.

Chief guest of the inaugural programme, Charan Bora, in his keynote address, said that the Sustainable Development goals are global goals whose real success is measured locally. "They must be felt in villages, towns, schools and homes," the Transport Minister said. He spoke at length about how Assam had moved from an aspirant to a frontrunner in the SDG India index under the able guidance of the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

VK Paul, delivering a special address, acknowledged the role of UNDP and said that India would shine if the SDGs remain a priority. He emphasised the need to identify gaps and develop a clear action plan.

Narayan Chandra Borkataky, in his special address, commended NITI Aayog for its continued commitment to strengthening cooperative federalism and supporting states in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ravi Kota, in his inaugural address, spoke at length about the initiatives undertaken since 2016, during his tenure in the Finance department, which were closely aligned with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals. He highlighted how these measures laid the foundation for inclusive and sustainable development. Emphasising collective responsibility, he called upon all the North Eastern states to reflect on where they currently stand in terms of SDG achievements, identify gaps and work together to move forward in a focused and coordinated manner.

Satinder Bhalla, giving his special address, stated, "The North Eastern Council has always been committed to the development of the region and reaffirmed its willingness to actively partner in the collective journey towards inclusive and sustainable development."

Angela Lusigi, Resident Representative, UNDP, who delivered a special address, stated that the North East is setting a benchmark in SDG implementation. She highlighted three key requirements for sustained progress, such as robust data and strong lead divisions, effective localisation of the SDGs and efficient delivery mechanisms.

In the inaugural session, the welcome remarks and context setting were given by Rajib Sen, Programme Director (SDGs), Niti Aayog. The Inaugural session was followed by the technical sessions, said the release.

The workshop will paint a picture of SDGs across the NER districts, and the primary objective of this workshop is to nudge District Administrations to translate these findings into concrete, time-bound Action Plans. This strategy relies on the "Zoom-In Effect," an approach to data convergence that allows District Collectors (DCs) to identify a problem through the NER Index and subsequently utilise the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) to pinpoint the specific blocks or Gram Panchayats responsible for the lag. This enables administrative interventions to be directed with precision to the locations where they are most required.

Sustainable development requires a financial architecture where state and district budgets are directly aligned with SDG targets. To facilitate this, the workshop will introduce a "Step-by-Step Guide for SDG Budget Tagging," developed in collaboration with UNDP.

This workshop will served as a collaborative platform bringing together the leadership of the North Eastern states, including Chief Secretaries, Planning Secretaries, and District Collectors, alongside representatives from NITI Aayog, MDoNER, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, UNDP, and GIZ with the goal to institutionalize a rejuvenated administrative culture through the technical support of the State Support Mission (SSM) and the SDG Coordination and Action Centers (SDGCAC).

- ANI