Goals for 2022: No poverty, good health & education

Bhanu P Lohumi

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Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 13

The government has set ambitious sustainable development goals (SDG) like zero hunger, no poverty, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality and increasing tax collection ratio to be achieved by 2022.

The state government had been working on institutionalisation of goals in their planning since 2017-18 and took several steps for their integration in policy and planning.

As per the goals elaborated in the Economic Survey 2020-21, there are 17 aspiration goals with 169 targets to be implemented by departments and indicators have been defined under each goal. The state government shortlisted 138 key indicators and targets for monitoring the progress of goals of which 12 have been achieved, 38 are to be achieved by 2022 and remaining 83 are planned to be achieved by 2030.

Under “no poverty”, targets have been fixed to bring the percentage of population living under poverty line from 8.1 per cent to 2 per cent, covering 100 per cent households under health insurance, providing drinking water to 100 per cent population in rural areas, sewerage services for 90 per cent population, all senior citizens to have institutional assistance funded by the government and telephone facility — mobile/landline to all with the improved Net connectivity.

The reduction of stunting and wasting among children below five years of age to 15.78 per cent and 8 per cent and reduction of anaemia among women in age group of 15 to 49 years to 30.12 per cent is on the agenda.

Enhancing productivity of foodgrains and vegetables to 2.4 MT per hectare and 15 MT per hectare, bringing 22,000 hectare area under organic farming, enlisting of 100 per cent mandis under e-market and Soil Health Card to all farmers are parameters for the zero hunger target.

The indicators under good health and well-being included 100 per cent institutional deliveries, bringing maternal deaths and infant mortality rate to below 40 and 23 per 1,000, zero transmission of HIV from mother to child and reduction in use of tobacco among the youth above 15 years of age from 22 per cent to 15 per cent.

The target of 100 per cent enrolment in primary and upper primary, the enhanced use of computer at primary level and upper primary level to 25 per cent and 30 per cent and 100 per cent at secondary and senior secondary level, enhancing the ratio of female-male enrolment in vocational institutions from 40 per cent to 100 per cent and increasing the gross enrolment ratio to 37 per cent at the tertiary level are parameters fixed under quality education goal.

To achieve the goal of gender equality, the key indicators included the increasing sex ratio in 0-6 year age group to 915 per 1,000 males, 190-day maternity leave to all women and 90 days paternity leave to men in organised and unorganised sectors, women police stations in all districts, amendments to customary laws to ensure property rights to women and girls and 100 per cent enrolment and retention of girls at elementary level.

A target of increasing the tax and non-tax revenue collections from 21.21 per cent to 25 per cent has been fixed for increasing revenue.