To start work, the Sustainable Development Goals first need to be popularised by the new government
The new government has to ensure that each one in the country is able to enjoy freedom and practices tolerance without fear. National security is no doubt significant, but it cannot be the country’s political narrative. India is riddled with problems such as extreme poverty, exploitation and inequalities, and does not need to look for enemies outside. The problems need to be dealt with on an urgent basis.
It is imperative that the concept of development is well understood. For example, in our human development index, we have set aside environment. How can development be holistic without the environment? The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer that complete framework.
In 2015, the United Nations set 17 goals for countries to achieve by 2030, and asked them to decide indicators for themselves. In September that year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that SDGs would be implemented with full strength and vigour.
Four years later, India does not even have a list of indicators approved by the Union cabinet. For the successful implementation of SDGs, a strong inter-ministerial coordination was essential. Nothing of that sort happened.
The NITI Aayog has been made the body to envision and oversee implementation of SDGs. It has tried to identify existing policies and relate them to targets. And it has mentioned the interlinking of rivers programme as one of them!
Those who have even a little understanding of environment know that interlinking rivers brings us devastation that in many ways nullifies the fundamental arguments for SDGs.
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