K’taka needs to work on achieving 17 SDGs by 2030: Yediyurappa

Bengaluru, Jan 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa on Friday said that Karnataka State Planning Board (KSPB) will be revamped and renamed as the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission (KSPPC) besides it would work on a plan to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Chairing the Karnataka State Planning Board's first meeting after he came to power in 2019, Yediyurappa said that the KSPPC is on the lines of the NITI Aayog, the state is also planning to strengthen its functioning and set up a Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO).

He also added that the state government had decided to merge 1,863 projects or schemes into a few numbers to ensure higher allocation of funds, effective implementation and utilisation of manpower.

"As part of this, we are working on a plan to achieve the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. Karnataka is presently ranked sixth in the entire country with a performance score of 66 out of the 100 in implementing the SDGs and is keen to improve its performance in poverty alleviation, eradication of hunger, gender equality, industrial innovation, infrastructure development and sustainable cities and communities," he explained.

The CM said that among the major decisions is, preparing a comprehensive report for the rejuvenation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector through the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) and establishment of a Command, Control, Computers, Communication and Combat Dashboard of monitoring all programmes.

While KSPB vice-chairman B. J. Puttaswamy told reporters that following the union government model, Karnataka too has decided merge several programmes and projects into 18 major programmes.

Explaining the rationale behind merging several programmes, additional chief secretary of planning and statistics department Shalini Rajneesh said that small and medium programmes would be merged under some major heads.

"Some departments have multiple projects with the same objectives of social welfare will result not only in ensuring higher allocation of funds but also effective implementation and utilisation of manpower," she said.

Puttswamy added that establishment of Karnataka Science City on public-private-participation (PPP) model, setting up of Planning Finance Fund on the Kerala Model, providing one per cent of the allocations for all plan programmes for the Karnataka Innovation Schemes were among the other major decisions taken at this meeting.

He also added that steps would be taken to improve the performance by constituting expert committees and developing appropriate action plans.

According to him among the major decisions are as follow:

Establishment of SDG Outreach Centres in all universities and colleges in the state;

Setting up of a smart school for teaching students from 1st to 10th standard in each gram panchayat;

Bringing the District Planning Division under the purview of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission;

Priority for women in skill development programmes;

The synchronisation of all the 1745 schemes under a single umbrella programme on the model of the central government;

Subjecting all programmes of Rs 100 crore and above for compulsory evaluation;

The merger of all schemes involving an outlay below Rs 1 crore with other schemes involving larger financial outlays.

Source: IANS