“77117 FO @ wwwevisionias.in DELHI| JAIPUR | PUNE | HYDERABAD| AHMEDABAD | LUCKNOW | CHANDIGARH | GUWAHATI = 8468022022Se © India, with 17 percent of the world’s humanity and 2.4 percent of the land area, is home to numerous arrays of development challenges that cut across sectors of health, nutrition, education, urbanisation and climate action Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown open a sea of challenges that are not bound by either geography or the level of development. In this decade of action, which calls for collective efforts to translate the 2030 Agenda into a global reality, India reiterates its commitment to the principles and targets set forth under the SDG framework. Inthis backdrop, itis important to understand what is sustainable development and why is it needed? What are SDGs and how SDGs are different from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)? How to measure progress of SDGs and what is Indias progress in achieving SDGs? What are the challenges in achieving SDGs? What role can Artificial Intelligence play in attaining SDGs? What is the way ahead to overcome the barriers in achieving these SDGs? In this article, we will attempt to answer these questions. WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND WHY IS IT NEEDED? Sustainable development is an overarching paradigm of the United Nations. The concept of sustainable development was described by the 1987 Bruntland Commission Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” eae Cec and protecting biodiversity Toa safety and personal, Eons Curr Rei eons © Sustainability is often thought of as along-term goal (ie, a more sustainable world) in which environmental, societal and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of an improved quality of life. Sustainable Development De TRS oe Breen Sooner) > For example, a prosperous society relies on a healthy environment to provide food and resources, safe drinking water and clean air for its citizens. econ Ree ron] @ stakeholders engagement rat eee) Crags Cri k4) © There are 3 primary objectives of sustainable development: CRA Economic growth: Increasing the economic growth that Fea generates wealth for all through meeting basic needs ie. raising the standard of living, and builds a strong, competitive ‘economy by ensuring that sufficient resources are available to support growth and innovation. Sustainable > Environmental protection: Contributing to protecting and Development enhancing our natural and developed environment, while \ folnendy y rer Ces helping to improve biodiversity, use natural resources wisely, | (1), ania minimizing waste and pollution, and adapting to and helping ota, eae to decrease climate change, including a global shift to a low-carbon economy. > Social inclusion: Supporting strong, vibrant and healthy communities by providing the supply of housing required to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by creating high-quality development, with accessible local services that reflect the community's needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being. ©e WHAT ARE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) AND HOW THEY DIFFER FROM MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGs)? Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which Af Cemery | (ee started as a global effort in 2000 to tackle the (GUase 0°) | to) SS indignity of poverty (refer infographic) differs from tn ae = Ni SDGs with respect to following aspects: © Zero Goals: The MDG targets for 2015 were set to neler inciples of Sustainable Development get us “half way” to the goal of ending hunger and poverty, with similar proportional goals in other fields. The SDGs are designed to get us to a statistical “zero” on hunger, poverty, preventable child deaths and other targets. epuce cH © Universal Goals: The MDGs were in the context of “rich donors aiding poor recipients” and mainly targeted developing/least developed or poor countries. The SDGs are universal and were created to “leave no one behind” as the goals jyppovewareRnaL apply to all countries whether rich, middle or "HEALTH Poor. Millennium Development Goals © More Comprehensive Goals: MDGs comprised of only 8 Goals with 21 targets and 60 indicators. Whereas there are 17 SDGs accompanied by 169 specific targets and 232 measurable indicators. These are also referred to as the ‘Global Goals'or ‘Agenda 2030’ that focuses holistically on development where the 17”Focus Areas” go beyond the symptoms of poverty, to issues of peace, stability, human rights and good governance. © Addressing THP (the Hunger Project) Pillars: While THP was firmly committed to the MDGs, it largely ignored the three pillars that are crucial for ending hunger sustainably: Empowering women, mobilizing everyone, and partnering with local government. The SDGs address these critical elements (to date) much more effectively, with far stronger gender goals, people's participation and government ‘at all levels.” > Further, in the MDGs, Hunger and Poverty were combined together in MDG1 while the SDGs treat the issue of poverty separately from Food and Nutrition Security perspective © Inclusive Goal Setting: The MDGs were created through a top-down process and laid down by a small group of technical experts whereas SDGs are being created in one of the most inclusive participatory processes under the aegis of The United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development with face-to-face consultations in more than 100 countries, and millions of citizen’s inputs on websites. ‘© Funding: The MDGs were largely envisioned to be funded by aid flows - which did not materialize. The SDGs put sustainable, inclusive economic development at the core of the strategy, and address the ability of countries to address social challenges largely through improving their own revenue generating capabilities ‘© Peace Building: After 2015, experts predict that the majority of those in extreme poverty will lve in conflict-affected states. The inclusion of peace-building is thus critical to the success of ending hunger and poverty — which got overlooked in the MDGs. Though there has been some controversy with its part in SDGs but it has remianed there nevertheless © Data Revolution: The MDGs said nothing about monitoring, evaluation and accountability while the SDGs target to. "increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts” ©‘© Quality Education: The MDGs focused only on quantity (e.g,, high enrollment rates) while SDGs represent the first attempt by the world community to focus on the quality of education - of learning - and the role of education in achieving a more humane world, 5Ps) Pee Le i Pavers iinet coven) Gary ora po Late Cn be eee ees pane) MEASURING THE PROGRESS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) One way to measure progress is to focus on the “5 Ps” that shape the SDGs and highlight how the SDGs are an intertwined framework instead of a group of siloed goals. (Refer infographic for alignment of the SDGs with the 250 People ASS V Prosperity Planet Peace WHAT IS INDIA'S PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING SDGs? Progress Indicators SDGs é x 02 = \ 4 |eso| fia | & Health Water Sustainable Reduce Inclusive Sustainable Inclusive energy inequality cities consumption | societies economy industrialization | climate change partnerships Hunger | Gender Stable Conserve sea and marine resources 3 Protect the environment Refer to the appendix at the end of the document to learn more on India’s progress with respect to SDGs and best practices across the country. ©e WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES INDIA IS FACING IN ACHIEVING THE SDGs? HOW HAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTED THE SDGs? © Structural Challenges: Imbalance in economic development: The struggle for growth and excellence has created imbalance it the economic development, depleted some of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted implementation towards many of the SDGs to achieve the 2030, ee ogee rane ace ee er ey ‘goals like poverty, hunger, health care, education etc, While the virus has impacted everyone, itis affecting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people the most. natural resources and has cone thus altered the ecological 13 im = eee co Ter a et balance which threatens Eoemesien Lge sustainable development. ra arene SB Tace er > Rapid Urbanisation: This outer dea owen has led to increasing a Seton” ear gosiien, demand-supply gaps in Th csoomnes covb'9 Seah housing, infrastructure, coperten ong employment, and other ry ea ia economic opportunities Popostentvag Ste aca Srapoorsoneaion and services. "For example, regional disparity in literacy and numeracy skills and level _— feck of learning outcomes, en ol ST) uueoa high unemployment ates ea rate, and decline in os female labour force participation in India Cae (UC > Regional variance: There is baat great imbalance in poverty toadgadin levels between states and poeta between urban and rural areas. For example, Chhattisgarh has 39.9% of people living below poverty while the corresponding figure for Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 1%. Devsetatng eect Drheath anes lech i nigel osm ‘responce endcapactly inadequate access ‘gains at risk and uum ‘© Implementation Challenges: searween | volscrmanc Cane Financing SDGs: Reports cae nee Seema suggest that India needs Prerionrenves | wonetogt re USD 2.64 trillion investment ool frmang to meet the UN's cece ectiei sustainable development — goals (SDGs). Given the recent cut in social sector schemes and decline in the share of Union budget expenditure out of GDP, there is likely to be a significant funding gap. Further, the development policies and budget heads of Union and State Governments have not been fully integrated with SDGs. > Systemic Weaknesses: Delays in fund flow at the local level along with inadequacy of human resources, training and capacity of line departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions and Municipal Corporations entails poor planning and. weaken the implementation and monitoring of SDGs.e © > Lack of access to resources: Inequalities continue to exist in women’s access to and ownership of land and other assets, aan rural India, while 75 percent of rural women workers are engaged in agriculture, women's operational landholding is only 13.96 percent. The absence of land ownership limits their access to inputs, such as, seeds, fertilizers, credit, as well as agricultural extension services. > Lack of awareness and poor participation by marginalized communities (SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities) in planning and implementation of SDGs at the local level. © Monit ing Challenges: > Defining Indicators: There is a lack of clear definitions, reliable and standardised data and inconsistent use of terminology in selecting appropriate indicators. In order to insure effective implementation of the SDGs, the important definition of indicators like Quality education, safe drinking water, poverty, hunger etc. needs to be revised. > Monitoring outcomes: Due to lack of preparation of development indicators, irregular data reporting on outcomes and lack of capacity of data preparation at State, district, and block levels. > Measuring Progress: Non-availability of data in respect to sub-national levels, periodicity issues, lack of innovation-oriented research and incomplete coverage of administrative data have made accurate measuring progress of SDGs difficult. CAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (Al) FOSTER THE ACHIEVEMENT OF SDGs? The emergence of Al is shaping an increasing range of sectors. Notably, Al enables new technologies that improve efficiency and productivity, but it may also lead to increased inequalities among and within countries thus hindering the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, both in the short and long term. Al could have both positive and negative impacts on SDGs. (refer infographic for Al's threats and opportunities for some SDGs) ee ties Gee feral arm ft A My, ae oy ‘SDGs , Py 14 pa per Opportunities perenne me) ieee megccany NM ar ans ‘ecovmiae Sr or mee vat ‘gtr Scenverueran Penrit ©e @ WHAT IS THE WAY AHEAD TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS IN ACHIEVING SDGs? © Localizing SDGs (refer infographics): It involves the process of understanding, adapting, planning, implementing and monitoring the SDGs from national to local levels by relevant institutions > Local and regional THE LOCALISATION IMPERATIVE governments (LRGs) must 4) = — prepare to implement and ae monitor the SDGs in their <= = a communities by, for instance, 5 9 5 is a conducting needs 95" assessments to define < priorities, engaging in ' cooperative governance to,» gS. i uz o & establish shared priorities, 9 5 ss foe aligning local and regional = 5 a aaa plans with the SDGs, © 0 e fag mobilizing local resources, 3om building capacities. for ied effective and responsive leadership promote 9 > wE ee ret ownership, and participating 38506 @) ert ea in development cooperation & 5% Puerpanigee eth pearenenny z°S and peer-to peer learning, > NITI Aayog should make regular interventions to facilitate entrepreneurship, innovation and new-age leadership on various development fronts to articulate the national development agenda and work as an integrative platform to bring the Central Ministries, States and UTs to achieve the SDGs. ‘© Education, Employment and Human Resource Development: There is a need to refashion education and skill development so that the existing, emerging and future labour force has the capability and requisite opportunities to engage in appropriately gainful employment. >It is necessary to invest in and enhance quality and accessibility of health care, especially for the economically weaker sections and people in vulnerable situations. ‘© Promoting women's entrepreneurship: As the economy gets increasingly digitised, and women's access to technology improves, women increasingly find a level playing field and welcome the ambiance for innovation. This situation calls for gender-responsive and inclusive procurement both in public and private sector. > Initiatives like the Atal Innovation Mission and Women's Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, aim to create an ecosystem of innovation, research and entrepreneurship across the country to engage young girls and women. © Infrastructure: There is need to invest in new, resilient infrastructure or retrofit existing infrastructure to make it more sustainable. > By connecting communities to cities, education and employment, infrastructure such as transportation and telecommunications underpins national economic goals > Its vital in conserving natural resources and reducing the impact of climate change. For example, clean energy generation plants are critical in reducing dependence on fossil fuels. > Proper infrastructure is needed for equitable access and delivery of services such as power supplies, healthcare services and sewerage networks that are essential for sustainable development.Tere ~ ‘© Enhance funding: Estimating the cost to achieve the SDGs and developing and implementing the tools to attract SDG-related finance and investments are key requirements for the timely achievement of the ambitious targets under the SDG framework. > Enhancing the financial resources to have better unit cost of services and adequate payment to staffs and their trainings, who are engaged with social and economic sectors should be given top priority for better implementation of SDGs. ‘© Focus on 3As (Awareness, Action & Accountability): To improve the accuracy of the indicator measurement and avoid double counting, a single clustered indicators needed to accelerate the progress towards the SDGs by embracing a “3As” approach- > Raising awareness-the right tools and information can play a critical role in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs. > Taking action- as millions of people are becoming aware of the goals, more and more are taking action across the globe. > Holding decision makers accountable by collecting, analyzing and sharing data to monitor progress, and by bringing stakeholders perspectives on the SDGs to decision makers to promote accountability. CONCLUSION The prevalence of challenges like climate change, global hunger, internal and external conflict etc. have showcased the importance of Sustainable Development approach. With the advent of energy efficient technology and recognition of the importance of inclusive development, a harmonious relation between development, social equity and environment is possible. India remains a large piece of this puzzle, that is because, if India succeeds in attaining the SDGs it would mean a larger section of the world has achieved it. Therefore, itis imperative for India to develop effective methods for implementing, monitoring and measuring the progress of SDGs. Itis time that each one of us adopts a ‘green and broad’ mind-set and use the natural resources available equitably, judiciously and sustainably for the future generations. The best way to ensure a sustainable future is to create it. PUM aN CUM oR WPS CMU Men Preypecans Drs ane SDG1 Pd aa On ae Miami’ APPENDIX ese Perit ©Under Mahatma Gandhi National |eKUDUMBASHREE is the poverty Rural Employment Guarantee Act , (MGNREGA) Scheme: 1 > 136 million job cards have been I issued so far which marked 12 , percent growth in person days of | employment from 2.36 in 2016-17 1 to 2.64 billion in 2019-20. ' ‘© Housing For All: ' > Houses completed in rural areas in a | year grew four times, 1.2 million in ' 2014-15 to 4.7 million houses | completed in 2018-19. ' © Self Help Groups (SHGs) with bank | credit linkage increased to 27 lakh in | 2018-19. ' Women’s participation increased | from 13 percent in 2011-12 to 21% in ! 2017-18 in regular wage/salaried jobs. | eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by Kerala jointly with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. >The Mission has over the last two decades drastically transformed the lives of women through grassroots level initiatives that have empowered them economically and socially. © 97.6 percent National Food Security | © Breast Milk Bank was established in Act (NFSA) beneficiaries covered in ; 2018-19 from 95.2 percent in 2015-16. | To improve access to and efficiency ' of food distribution, various | measures have been put in place: isation of 234 million ration card database > Aadhaar seeding of ration cards. > Automation of Fair Prices Shops | and installation of electronic-Point ! of Sales (PoS) machines. ' 1 @Under National Mission on | Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), 224 | million soil health cards distributed for ! enhancing soil fertility. the Aspirational District of Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu to provide access to breast milk for low birth weight, pre-term and orphan babies. The initiative helped improve rates of breastfeeding in the district. Centralised Kitchens for Better Nutrition: In the Aspirational District of Nandurbar, Maharashtra, central kitchen has been set up by the Tribal Development Department of the State Government to provide hot and nutritious meals to children in residential schools, known as Ashram Shalas. This central kitchen caters to 28 ashram schools with a capacity of up to 10,000 students.Ld GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING ain Ce aan Peon Cale Pour Oae eS TEC T SDG 4 Cag ety CaS eer] Come trey Coe eee eon) eee Ce GENDER EQUALITY ECL Corea eu ras Beene © Under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan, © YSR Aarogyasri Scheme: Towards Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY): | > 100 million families provided health! insurance of Rs. 5 Lakh per year. | > 1,50,000 health and wellness, centres by 2022. f Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) ; reduced by 6.15 percent - to 122 in | 2015-17 from 130 in 2014-16. t © Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined | from 37 to 32 between 2015 and 2018. 1 \ ‘© Under-5 Mortality Rate has declined | in recent years, from 43 in 2015 to 37 | in 2017, i Dropout rates reduced to 2.72 1@Unnayan Banka Smart Classroom percent and 9.74 percent respectively ! at elementary and secondary levels ; in 2018-19. 1 1 @lnternet access in schools is | expanding. More than 80 percent of | teachers have been formally trained. | Gender Parity Index for Higher | education increased from 0.92 in | 2014-15 to 1 in 2018-19 reflecting an ' improvement in women’s access to ; learning opportunities. imum proficiency level is achieved in language mathematics. achievement of universal health coverage for BPL families, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is implementing the YSR Aarogyasti Health Insurance Scheme. The scheme has established a demand-side mechanism that mobilises and channels additional public financing to _ health, introduced an explicit benefits package, pioneered cashless care and fostered public private partnerships Model: Unnayan Banka implemented in the Aspirational District of Banka, Bihar, is an initiative that envisages ‘quality education for all; using latest technologies. >In Banka, learning outcomes improved from 17% to 54% with 90% attendance. Following the success of this innovation, the model has now been successfully implemented in all districts of Bihar and other Aspirational Districts such as Godda (Uharkhand), Ramgarh (Jharkhand), Dhubri (Assam), Namsai (Arunachal Pradesh) and Dhenkanal (Odisha). Under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan |¢ Children First: The Child Protection Yojana (PMUDY): ' > 381 million bank accounts opened ! between 2014 and 2020, with 203 ; million of them (i.e. 54 percent) ' opened by women. i © In 2017, 77% women's access to bank accounts rose from 43% in 2014. ©75% benefi (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Yojana (Credit for | SMEs- Small, Medium enterprises) : are women. jes under MUDRA ; Unit in the Aspirational District of Muzzafarpur performs an integrated role in child rights, health and education. This unit mobilises the community and emphasises the importance of gender equality, reduction of mortality rates and relevant indicators pertaining to children and women. Such activities have been drawing a large number of people, especially girls and women ‘© In 2019, Women’s participation in lower house of national parliament rose. © 35 percent of ectors in Startups are women.© © 96 percent of households have access to an improved source of drinking water. TAANKA’ Technique for Water Conservation: The —_Aspirational District of Sonbhadra became the first district in Uttar Pradesh to employ the traditional taanka technique to propel its efforts for rainwater harvesting and water conservation, popular in the water-parched state of Rajasthan. © 100 percent individual household toilets in rural households in 2019 from 38.7% in 2014-15. \ \ \ \ \ \ © 97.4 percent of schools have separate ! toilets for girls leading to improved | CLEAN WATER enrolment and retention of girls in ;° Subsurface Dams: To address the \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ issue of water shortage, the Aspirational District of ¥.R Kadappa, Andhra Pradesh, has constructed sub surface dams on river Papagni. After the intervention, water percolation of the surface runoff to the sand layers, and in the adjoining alluvium along the river has increased the water table, resulting in increased water availability for sustainable irrigation practices. DET | primary education, CCS Ure) Sena See ee PURO mCiae ly © In 2018-19, access to clean cooking |e Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY): The fuel increased to 96.2 percent | Government of Gujarat has launched households from 63.1 percent in ' a solar power scheme for farmers - 2015-16. Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY) \ \ \ © india is 3rd most attractive country | enabling them to generate electricity WLS) forrenewable energy investment. | for their captive consumption and to 1 \ \ 1 HUI VUTTTTMN oindia's renewable energy target Is! oye chs Powe! to te guid for Since 450 GWhy 2030. augmenting income. Ee aes HSE) 075 percent solar power tariff Grehavurriacucl| reduced using plug and play model. [@ Atal Incubation Center (AIC): an initiative under the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog, airs to promote the innovation and entrepreneurship. ‘ecosystem in the country. For instance, the AIC-NIFT TEA (National Institute of Fashion Technology - Tirupur Exporters Association) incubation centre for textiles and apparels is sector specific for creating an ecosystem to foster innovation and knowledge-based entrepreneurship. With India becoming the breeding ground of startups, AIC across the country aids creation of numerous jobs with their scale ups along with fostering the business and Globally, India has third largest entrepreneurship ecosystem and highest number of unicorns. SDG8 | ECONOMIC GROWTH Cenc y Rorenea sci acy Ce ae Eire aiy Cae eg Creal) ©80 percent new firms have been created. ‘© Number of startups recognized under Startup India has increased which in turn increase direct and indirect jobs. In 2019, Indias position in Ease of Doing Business Index improved to 63 from 142 in 2014. innovation environment.A OE De EM nniany cee ee cad ee eens) ere) esta) SDG 10 am» d=) MA fanaa Us) Cac oig ROU eC) Corie SDG11 Ae SS NTN Tes eh re ils REC Ur Maru) Pee ences Pe Ce] ein Bharat mala programme (for road 1 infrastructure), investment —_is | increased more than three times | between 2014-15 and 2018-19. @Under Sagarmala project, Cargo | handling capacity of major ports is | increased in 2019. ' © India is the third largest domestic ! market for civil aviation in the world. 1 1 © India's industrial corridor is one of the | world's largest infrastructure projects. ' ein 2019, Internet user base and ! telephone connection have been ' increased. ' ©2.96 percent of union budget ! allocated for SC and ST welfare | schemes in 2017-18 from 2.47% in 1 2015-16. 1 © Under MUDRA scheme, 48 percent of | loan accounts belonged to SC, ST I and OBC entrepreneurs, and 62 | percent belonged to women. fT © 44.4 percent seats in panchayati raj | ions held by women and 28.3 percent in State legislative | assemblies occupied by persons | belonging to SC/ST communities. ! ‘Number of houses completed i urban areas increased to 3.2 million in 2019-20. © Smart Cities Mission projects worth | Rs. 2 trillion identified 100 cities | across the country for focused | development. 1 1 Energy Conservation Building Code , (ECBC) is estimated to achieve 50 | percent reduction in energy use by | 2030. \ ‘© Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation ; and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), in 500 cities, basic civic amenities like ' water supply, sewerage and urban transport are provided to all. © Ease of Doing Bu: and Delhi- Construction permits Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Greater Mumbai have introduced fast track approval systems for issuing building permits with features such as Common Application Form (CAF), provision of using digital signature and online scrutiny of building plans. Doing Business 2018 and 2019 reports, showed that the time for construction permits reduced from 128.5 to 99 days in Mumbai, and from 157.5 to 91 days in Delhi, between the years @ Sweekruti Scheme: The scheme was formulated by the Government of Odisha to provide equal opportunities and protect the rights of the transgender community through scholarships, skill upgradation and entrepreneurship development, training, support for critical health care and group insurance support, legal aid, counselling and guidance services for the community. Bhubaneswar One, —Odisha Implemented by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), Bhubaneswar One, is an e-portal that integrates geo-spatial data from all the Government and private organisations for providing easy and hassle-free information to residents and tourists. © Mangrove Boardwalk Panaji Panaji Smart City Development Limited, the Smart City SPV of the Government of Goa has developed a ‘Boardwalk’ in the midst of mangroves in Panaji creating ecologically sustainable green spaces.© India ranks 9th in world in land under organic agricultur © India is globally 6th in terms of organic wild collection area. waste in 75 percent of municipal wards. eth Ca Tat) Coe enc y ee tea) Dee isc © 224 million soil health cards have been distributed to promote organic manures. © Globally, India stands 3rd in renewable power generation, 4th in wind power, and Sth in solar power. © Solar installed capacity has increased by about 13 times to 34.62 GW. ‘© Reduction in emission intensity of GDP by 21 percent. © In 2020, 36 percent of total electricity generation is from renewable sources. ©11 million smart LED street lights installed. Lf oa tat BETO Cae arc) Cores) COCO en acca © India is 16th largest maritime country and 2nd largest producer of fish in the world, @ In 2019, area under mangroves has increased. Na aE Sea Coen marine resources for Bree er ucd Maximum sustainable _yield fishing increased by 43 percent from 3.7 million tonnes per year in 2015-17 to 53 million tonnes per year in 2017-18. © \@Decentralised Solid Waste | Management Alappuzha, Kerala: The urban local body in coordination with | district Suchitwa Mission (Cleanliness | Mission), implements a project called | ‘Nirmala Bhavanam Nirmala | Nagaram’ (Clean Homes, Clean City). I The project — focuses. ~— on | decentralised solid waste | Management through segregation ' \ ' ' ' ' ' \ and treatment of wet waste at the source. The project has received global recognition from the UNEP and the city has been recognised as one of the five top model cities in the world for sustainable management of solid waste. ie India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP): ' Launched in March 2021, India is one | of the first countries in the world to ' develop a comprehensive Cooling {| Action Plan to address requirements | across sectors and lists out actions to | reduce the cooling demand. The ' overarching goal is to provide ' sustainable cooling and thermal | comfort for all while securing | environmental and socio-economic 1 benefits for the society. ' \ \ j@The Sindhudurg Mainstreaming | Project in Maharashtra has invested heavily in a multi-pronged approach to improve the sustainability of fisheries, protect the rights of access of artisanal fishers, act against illegal fishing activities, and build sectoral partnerships to diversify and improve the livelihoods of coastal communities. © Eco-Labelling jes are being promoted for sustainably managing marine fisheries. An eco-labelling intervention in Kerala seeks to harness consumer power to bring about \ ' ' \ \ ' ' \ ' ' \ ' ' \ \ 1 positive change in the fisheries sector. \LIFE ON LAND ee) Dees use of terrestrial Commune ir sg Ges Cees Peete eco) Pee head ato meta bE GUTS INSTITUTIONS cn rte eu) eee sustainable development, Pout oeeerecs acd {for all and build effec laccountable and inclusive| fee C eee Sey i) Sate ST ee ue Ca eCueL ore en ag Bro r ee raci ©1.69 million hectare (Mha) area covered under ferent afforestation schemes increased from 1.38 Mha in 2015-16. Number of Protected Areas has increased to 903 between 2015 and 2020. ©26 million ha of degraded and deforested land to be restored by 2030, and achieve land-degradation neutrality. ©3 Mha of forest and tree cover has been added, which has enhanced combined forest and tree cover to 24.56 percent. © Over 90 percent population covered under Aadhaar unique identity | system Overall crime rate per lakh population has reduced and registration of cases has increased by 1.3 percent. Online services provided government have increased by © Digital payment transactions have increased to 38 billion in 2019-20. india has improved its tax-to-GDP ratio in last six years to augment domestic resource mobilisation. Public expenditure efficiency has improved. © India is the third largest startup hub in the world. @lndia has extended more than 300 Lines of Credit (LoC) to 64 countries so far. © \o Sustainable Highways: With the aim | of striking a balance between highway | development and environmental | conservation, the Green Highways ' Policy was initiated in 2015. The | initiative involves all stakeholders, | including local communities and civil | society in planting of trees and | shrubs along India’s rapidly \ ' ' \ ' ' ' \ \ expanding highway network. The objective is to transform the National Highways into a natural sink for air pollutants and arrest soil erosion at the embankment slopes. |@Police Uncle Tutorial: Launched in | 2019, Police Uncle Tutorial is a one of a | kind initiative by the Police 1 Department in the Aspirational District | of Simdega in Jharkhand, This unique ' concept targets dropouts and I academically weak students of Grade |X, in the left-wing extremism affected | areas of the district, where children are | more susceptible to crime. ' ' ' ' ' \TOPIC AT GLANCE UN ea kee SLE) Concept was described by the 1987 Bruntland Commission Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without. Cee OSes aati ec Loe Oe sane eae cet eC Rn ea @ Ensures good governance & transparency, fight against climate change & protect biodiversity, contributes to the well-being erotics sDGs © Universal and were created to “leave no one behind”, © 17 SDGs accompanied by 169 specific targets and 232 measurable indicators. © Bottom-up approach. @ Include peace-building to the success of ending poverty and hunger. © Get to a statistical “zero” on hunger, poverty, preventable child deaths and other targets. © Focus on the quality of education. @ Target to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data. © Separately treat the issue of poverty from Food and Nutrition Security perspective, i] — Coe (eres between Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) & Millennium Development Goals, MDGs @ In the context ofrich donors aiding poor recipients”, Lu © 8 Goals with 21 targets and 60 indicators. © Top-down process. Difference @ Overlooked peace-building in thelr core agenda and goals. @ Reach “halfway” to the goal of ending hunger and poverty. (MDGs) © Focused only on quantity. = © Didn't prioritize monitoring, evaluation and accountability of data, @ Hunger and Poverty were combined together. Ect teed Ta © Moderate mmm SDGs 1 (Poverty), 4 (Education), 8 (Sustainable economy), 9 (Sustainable industrialization), 13 (Climate Om Cer aro iaee Oe me eT Me cae aac) © Stable mem SDGs 14 (Conserving sea & marine resources), 15 (Life on Land) India's Challenges in achieving SDGs. @ Structural Challenges: Imbalance in economic development; Rapid Urbanisation; Regional variance @ Implementation Challenges: Financing SDGs; Systemic Weaknesses; Lack of access to resources; Lack of awareness and poor participation by marginalized communities. Indicators; @ Monitoring Challenges: Monitoring outcomes; Measuring Progress. Defining Way ahead to overcome the barriers in achieving SDGs @ Localizing SDGs: NITI Aayog should make regular interventions to facilitate entrepreneurship, innovation and new-age leadership on various development fronts. @ Need to refashion Education, Employment and Human Resource Development: Invest in and enhance quality and accessibility of health care, especially for the economically ‘weaker sections and people in vulnerable situations. @ Promoting women's entrepreneurship: For inclusive procurement both in public and private sector. © Invest in new and resilient infrastructure, @ Enhance funding for timely achievement of SDGs targets. @ Focus on 3As (Awareness, Action & Accountability) to improve the accuracy of the indicator measurement and avoid double counting,