Central schemes to benefit people at grass-root level: Govt

NEW DELHI: The various schemes run by the Centre are aimed at benefiting the people at the grass-root level and also meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, the government said on Monday.

"Government is implementing a number of central sector/ centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) throughout India for the benefit of the people at the grass root level. The targets and achievements under these schemes also address most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN," Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Further, the minister said NITI Aayog and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation are engaged in the identification of indicators for the national targets adopted under the SDGs.

In September 2015, the United Nations adopted the 'Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development' taking forward a new set of 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years or up to 2030.

The SDGs include poverty, employment, education and literacy, health, gender equality and women empowerment, child development, water and sanitation, modern energy and decent work, resilient infrastructure as sustainable cities.

Others include sustainable consumption and production, combat climate change, conserve and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources; protect ecosystems, reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss, promote peaceful and inclusive societies and provide access to justice for all.

"As the SDGs have been intimated by the UN to the participating countries including India very recently. The work on mapping these SDGs with various central sector and centrally sponsored schemes has been initiated," Singh said.