Niti Aayog shortlists nodal ministries and plans to align targets with UN Goals

NEW DELHI: The Niti Aayog has drawn a list of nodal ministries and key programmes of the government that would help India work towards attaining the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in a time bound manner, an exercise that would make respective ministries accountable for their performance as well as help in introducing midterm correction in policy areas if required.

The exhaustive list, reviewed by ET, highlights the targets to be achieved, the key interventions made by the BJP-led NDA government in this direction and the ministries that would be required to work in sync with the nodal ministry to achieve these targets.

The idea is to lay out a clear roadmap for moving in the direction of achieving Sustainable Development Goals in a time bound manner, a senior government official told ET.

“A mapping of this kind will ensure that all ministries take responsibility for their programmes and work in tandem to achieve the goals set by the Centre,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

According to the official, the Aayog has compiled data of over 600 districts across 51 crucial targets and hopes to track them preferably on a real-time basis.

Aligning their targets to the Sustainable Development Goals, the government aims to end poverty by 2030, achieve food security in the next 15 years, ensure healthy life for all, provide inclusive and equitable quality education for all, achieve gender equality and empower all women, and ensure availability of water and sanitation for all within the stipulated time, which are the top focus areas of the government.

Last year, India along with 192 nations had gathered at the UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals and adopted a new global development agenda to be achieved by 2030. Comprising 17 goals and 169 targets, the Sustainable Development Goals expand on the millennium development goals (MDGs) adopted in 2000, majority of which have not been achieved by India.

Aiming at global systemic reform, the first seven Sustainable Development Goals are an extension of the MDGs; goals 8, 9 and 10 cover aspects such as inclusiveness and jobs, infrastructure and industrialisation; and distribution; and the final set of the seven goals lay down the framework for sustainability spanning urbanisation; consumption and production; climate change; resources and environment; peace and justice; and the means of implementation as well as global partnership for it.