India driving SDG agenda to local realities: Bery
Bhubaneswar: India’sapproach to localising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has drawn global attention, said Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog. At a one-day national seminar on SDGs held at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) on Saturday, Bery underlined how India has moved beyond a one-size-fits-all development strategy and is instead tailoring global SDG targets to local realities. The seminar, titled ‘KISS vis-a-vis Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Advancing India’s SDG Agenda through Transformative Education, Volunteerism and Community-Centred Action’, focused on institutional models that translate global development goals into measurable local action. Reflecting on his engagement with Odisha, Bery said this visit would remain his most memorable, as he commended Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT and KISS, for creating an education-led development model that has transformed the lives of tribal children across the State and beyond.
Bery emphasised that SDG localisation is central to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat. He pointed out that several States are now aligning district- and block-level planning with SDG targets. A new governance model is taking shape, where chief ministers, State planning bodies and local institutions are setting outcome-driven goals and building delivery mechanisms to address region-specific challenges while remaining aligned with national and global priorities.
Arvind Virmani, Member, NITI Aayog, elaborated on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat. He said everyone should contribute to the realisation of Viksit Bharat. Individuals, institutions, societies, and States all play a role in this endeavor.
Pravakar Sahoo, Programme Director, NITI Aayog said, KISS exemplifies a Sustainable Model. “The favourable demographics we possess lay the groundwork for Viksit Bharat, and KISS is effectively contributing to this aim”, he stated. The goal of the Sustainable Development Goals encompasses quality education and healthcare facilities, and skill development. Both KIIT and KISS are actively pursuing these objectives, he remarked.
