Bengaluru: NITI Aayog advises State to focus on nutrition of pregnant women, children

Bengaluru: NITI Aayog on Tuesday advised Karnataka to focus on areas such as nutrition of pregnant women and children, gender equality, housing, education, among other areas, as the state aims for first place in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa today held discussions with Sanyukta Samaddar, Advisor to NITI Aayog and other officials about successfully achieving Sustainable Development Goals 2030, during which they expressed content over improvement in the state's position in SDG index.

"We have discussed the achievements of the state. There is considerable improvement in Karnataka's position in the NITI Aayog's sustainable development index.We have discussed priorities that have to be set aimed at taking the state to the number one position," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, suggestions were made during the meeting to give more focus on issues such as malnutrition among pregnant women and children, gender equality, housing, education among others.

"Already an announcement has been made in the budget to implement programmes aimed at achieving SDG and the government will work towards it," he added. Karnataka is ranked third in SDGs India Index for 2020-21, improving its score from 66 in 2019-20 to 72 in 2020-21.

Stating that the state is working towards attaining the SDG 2030 targets, Yediyurappa, according to a release from his office, said the goal committees have identified different innovative projects with a total of 20 of the best practices implemented by the state. In the SDG India 2020-21 report, Karnataka ranked 3rd with Andhra Pradesh and Goa with an Index score of 72.

Of the 16 goals in SDG India 2021 report, Karnataka has one Goal (goal 7) in achiever, 9 goals are in front runner and 5 goals are in performer categories. Agriculture, Horticulture, Water Resources, Health and Family Welfare, Education, Food & Civil Supplies, Energy, Industry & Commerce, ITBT, Science & Technology, Urban Development (Municipal Administration), E-Governance, Housing Department (Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Limited), Directorate of Economics & Statistics are implementing their new initiative.

This will improve the SDG indicators of the state and change the life of the citizens as well as to ensure a better sustainable future, the CM said. Yediyurappa released a handbook regarding 20 best practices implemented by the state on the occasion of the Economics and Statistics anniversary programme, organised by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Planning department, here today.

The handbook is brought out by the Planning, Programme monitoring and Statistics Department in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the partnership of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Coordination Centre, the release said.

The book offers technical solutions, processes and methods of the implementation, techniques for more emphasis to strengthen each of the best practices, it added.