From Our Special
Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 22: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) hailed the efforts of the Ministry of the Department of North Eastern Region (DoNER) toward fast-tracking development in the North East.
The DoNER Ministry was appreciated during the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday.
According to the MoU, the UNDP would provide DoNER with technical support on fast-tracking the monitoring and evaluating of the sustainable development goals or SDGs, capacity building, supporting aspirational districts and blocks, supporting the deployment of emerging technologies in governance, and scaling up good practices.
The MoU was signed in the presence of the DoNER Minister of State, B.L. Verma and UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, Ulrika Modéer.
“We are committed to supporting national and sub-national efforts to accelerate progress on the goals by providing technical support on SDG localisation and improved capacities towards implementation and monitoring of programmes,” Modéer said.
Verma said social and infrastructural development of and connectivity in the North East has been close to the Prime Minister’s heart.
“The Ministry of DoNER has taken remarkable strides across critical sectors such as infrastructure, connectivity, health, education, climate change, and economic growth to transform the lives of the people in the region. In this journey, the UNDP has been our key partner in promoting data-driven decision-making, especially through the North East Region District SDG Index,” he said.
The minister also said the NER District SDG Index helped in forming the flagship PM-DevINE scheme, which provides infrastructure and social development funding to boost livelihood opportunities in the region, especially for women and youth.
The SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.