Babus call for basic changes in growth strategies

Hyderabad: The State Planning Department and Dr MCR HRD Institute here on Thursday organised a national workshop on ‘Bangaru Telangana and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ for Special Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, and State Level HoDs in the State.

Voice their suggestions for sustainable development at a seminar organised by the State Planning dept

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, NITI Aayog member Dr V K Saraswat said an integrated approach to development calls for equi-focus on its three pillars, namely, economic, social, and environmental. He said effective implementation of SDGs calls for basic changes in the development strategies with least impact on environment, revamping of education system and creating a mechanism to scrutinise strategic decisions from the SDG angle.

“Monitoring the achievements of the SDGs by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation will be instrumental in determining the success of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in India,” he added.

State Planning Board Vice Chairman S Niranjan Reddy said the Telangana government was committed to both economic development and social development. “By spending over Rs 14,000 crores on Mission Bhagirata, the government is ensuring supply of clean and potable water to all households.

The third phase of Haritha Haram will go a long way in providing 33 percent green cover to the State, which would enrich the quality of global environment,” he added. Advisor to the government B V Papa Rao said the State would put in place a comprehensive mechanism to improve the drainage and sanitation facilities in all villages across the State.

“The government will not only increase the GDP of the State but also improve its rankings in terms of development indicators,” he added.

Special Chief Secretary B P Acharya said action plans, strategies and vision documents being prepared by all departments would go a long way both in achieving the SDGs and in giving a big boost to the efforts aimed at realising the dream of ‘Bangaru Telangana’. “In order to achieve SDGs, officers should come out of their watertight compartments and work with other departments as a team,” he added.

UN Resident Coordinator Diego Palacios said successful implementation of SDGs across the globe would be determined by its success in India. “It is commendable to see that the government of India is showing strong commitment in its efforts to achieve the SDGs,” he said and emphasised the importance of States in realising the SDG agenda for India and the world.

Meital Rusdia, Chief, UNCEF, Hyderabad Office, highlighted the importance of sharper focus on children, considering the fact that of the 169 targets, 95 are relevant to children.

“Children clearly are an important focus of the global development agenda,” she added. Dr Saraswat inaugurated the Centre for SDGs and also launched the soft copy of a booklet on SDGs in Telugu. Dr Gautam Pingle, Dean of Studies, Dr MCRHRDIT proposed the vote of thanks.