ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Unit 6: Global Environmental issues and Policies

Topic: Sustainable Development Goals: India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change and its
major missions

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition
is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report (1987):

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Sustainability is the foundation for today’s leading global framework for international cooperation –
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators
that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies. The
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are officially known as Transforming our world: the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change and its major missions

India is committed to achieve the 17 SDGs and the 169 associated targets, which comprehensively
cover social, economic and environmental dimensions of development and focus on ending poverty
in all its forms and dimensions. At the Central Government level, NITI Aayog has been assigned the
role of overseeing the implementation of SDGs in the country. To spread awareness about the Goals,
bring together stakeholders and build capacities for the realization of SDGs, NITI Aayog has
organized several national and regional level consultations.

Achievements In The Year 2018-19

National level consultations

In February 2018, a National Workshop on capacity development for localising the SDGs was held.
Union Territories (UTs) and 23 states, as well as other relevant stakeholders participated in the
workshop.

Another National Consultation on SDG 1 and associated targets was held in March 2018, which saw
Central Ministries, States/UTs and other stakeholders discuss policies, implementation strategies
and best practices.

The private sector is an important stakeholder in the implementation of SDGs. Recognising this, a
government and business partnership conclave was held in August 2018 to sensitise businesses and
industries in the private sector and analyse their programme strategies on various SDGs.

The Task Force on Implementation of SDGs held two meetings to take stock of SDGs at the national
level. Progress on implementation of SDGs at the state level was reviewed through a series of
meetings with States and UTs.

Regional level forums on SDG

The central platform for international follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda is the High-Level
Political Forum (HLPF), which meets annually under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC).

As a regional preparatory for the HLPF, the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD)
was held for the fifth time at Bangkok in Mar 2018, under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice
Chairman, NITI Aayog. Around 600 participants joined the event, where States, United Nations
bodies, international organizations and other stakeholders engaged in deliberations on the theme,
“Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”.

The Forum reviewed progress on the identified SDGs to be discussed at the next HLPF as well as the
interlinkages across all Goals. The Forum facilitated experience sharing between countries who have
already presented their Voluntary National Reviews at the HLPF and those who were to present
theirs at the HLPF 2018 to be held in the month of July at New York.

The Forum also took stock of the regional progress made in respect implementing the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific.
South Asia Forum on Sustainable Development

The South Asia Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals, 2018 was co-organized by NITI Aayog,
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and RIS in
October 2018, to enhance awareness on challenges and opportunities for the implementation of the
2030 Agenda; generate reflections on sub-regional perspectives and good practices on the Goals
under review at the HLPF in 2019; and identify ways to strengthen partnerships and implementation
efforts.

Representatives from South Asian countries, prominent think tanks and academia as well as regional
and sub-regional organizations supporting implementation of SDGs participated in the Forum. Key
focal areas of the deliberations were the scope and options for improving the regional/sub-regional
policy environment for implementation of SDGs and capacity development of key stakeholders.

Revised Mapping of Ministries, Centrally Sponsored and Central Sector Schemes

A mapping exercise was of Central Ministries and Centrally Sponsored /Central Sector Schemes was
revised to include more schemes and reflect more comprehensively the interconnectedness of SDGs.

Monitoring Progress on SDGs

NITI Aayog finalised and released the SDG India Index – Baseline Report 2018 in December 2018, to
track the progress of all the States and Union Territories (UTs) on the priority Indicators, measuring
their achievements and failures on the outcomes of the interventions and schemes of the central
Government.

The SDG India Index has been developed to provide a holistic view on the social, economic and
environmental status of the country and its States and UTs. It will also go a long way in helping
analyse and identify best practices and priority areas, giving direction to developmental policies.

Policy Initiatives for Sustainable Development

The Survey cites current Government of India policies in direction of achieving SDGs. These include
Swachh Bharat mission, Beti Bacho Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana, Smart Cities, Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and Pradhan Mantri
UjjwalaYojana, among others.

The Namami Gange Mission- a key policy priority towards achieving the SDG 6 - was launched as a
priority programme with a budget outlay of Rs.20,000 crores for the period 2015-2020. Major
components include sewerage project management, urban and rural sanitation, tackling industrial
pollution, water use efficiency and quality improvement, ecosystem conservation and Clean Ganga
Fund, among others.

Government of India has launched a National Clean Air Programme in 2019 as a pan India time
bound national level strategy for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution besides
augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country.
The Survey states that a harmonized overarching National Policy on Resource Efficiency (RE),
building upon the existing policies to address multiple sectors should be devised for mainstreaming
Resource Efficiency approach in the development pathway for achieving SDGs. Resource Efficiency
can be a major tool to meet the resource needs of the country, at the least possible cost to the
environment, the Survey adds.