Lok Sabha Question No. 399 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: SDG Report 2021
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *399

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.03.2022

## SDG REPORT 2021

## *399. DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

## SHRIMATI SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) whether COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the progress made by countries including  India  on  Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs)  as  reported  in  SDG Report 2021 by the United Nations;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of India's status of SDGs as compared to other countries;
- (d) whether the global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over twenty years and 119 to 124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020;
- (e) if so, the details thereof;
- (f) whether the Government has taken any measures to accelerate and build back better to achieve the seventeen goals by 2030; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof and the other steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS & PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a) to (g):  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (g)  of  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *399 REGARDING 'SDG REPORT, 2021' RAISED BY SMT SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO AND DR. SUKANTA MAZUMDAR DUE FOR ANSWER ON 30.03.2022

- (a) Yes Sir, the Covid-19 global pandemic has no doubt imposed several challenges and roadblocks to the achievement of SDGs across the world, including India.
- (b) The  challenges  faced  by  India  have  been  across  most  sectors  of  SDGs.  However, Government of India was determined to safeguard lives and livelihoods and therefore launched  the Atmanirbhar  Bharat  Abhiyaan  and  the  PM  Garib  Kalyan  Yojna . The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is based on the vision of translating immediate COVID19 related policy measures to bring about transformative changes. The five pillars of economy, infrastructure, systems and technologies, vibrant demography, and demand were  identified  to  steer  initiatives  for  self-reliance.  The  Prime  Minister's Garib Kalyan Package,  announced  as  early  as  in  March  2020,  has  been  the  flagship government  effort  in  the  fight  against  COVID-19  aimed  at  initiating  public  works, construction  activities  and  other  economic  activities  on  a  large  scale  to  meet  the livelihood and income requirements of migrant workers and similarly affected rural citizens, with a resource envelope of INR 50,000 crore.
- (c) The  ranking  of  countries  on  SDGs  is  conducted  by  the  Sustainable  Development Solutions  Network,  a  non-profit  organisation  based  in  the  USA,  and  Bertelsmann Stiftung, a private foundation based in Germany, and not by the United Nations. Thus, the ranking are not official. In the year 2021, India ranked at 120 out of 165 countries.
- (d) & (e) According to World Bank January 2021 estimates based on Global Economic Prospects Forecast, Covid19-induced new poor in 2020 was expected to rise between 119 and 124 million. However, June 2021 estimates by the same World Bank group, revised this estimate to 97 million more people being in poverty in the year 2020. This is a reduction of about 20 million people from the January, 2021 estimates. (Source-1.  Initial  estimate:  https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impactcovid-19-global-poverty-looking-back-2020-and-outlook-2021 2. Revised estimate: https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/updated-estimates-impactcovid-19-global-poverty-turning-corner-pandemic-2021)
- (f) All  key  stakeholders,  including  NITI  Aayog,  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme Implementation and Ministries/Departments of Union Government, and all State/UT Governments  are  committed  towards  achieving  the  SDG  targets  through  multipronged initiatives, such as capacity building, awareness generation, implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Central Sector Schemes, and SDG monitoring through the SDG India Indices at various administrative levels.
- (g) Government of India has been consistently taking initiatives  towards  building  back better and faster:

(i) The Prime Minister's Garib Kalyan Package, announced in March, 2020 has been the flagship government effort in the fight against COVID-19. The package includes insurance coverage of INR 50 lakhs for health workers, free food grains for 80 crore

people, direct beneficiary transfer for 20 crore women, increase in wage rate under the job  guarantee  programme  which  benefited  13.6  crore  families,  financial  support  to senior citizens, widows, and people with disabilities, and minimum income support to over 8.7 crore farmers.

- ii) The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan or Self-Reliant India Movement is based on the vision  of  translating  immediate  COVID-19  related  policy  measures  to  bring  about transformative  changes.  The  five  pillars  of  economy,  infrastructure,  systems  and technologies, vibrant demography, and demand were identified to steer initiatives for self-reliance.
- iii)  With  the  aim  to  build  back  with  resilience  and  focus  on  climate,  India  has committed to: achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2070; of meeting 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030; reach 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030; reduce carbon intensity of the economy by 45 per cent by 2030; and reduce total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
- iv)  To  create  a  conducive  atmosphere  for  our  manufacturing  sector  to  boost  postpandemic recovery and to make companies manufacturing in India an integral part of global  supply  chains,  the  Government  of  India  has  introduced  Production  Linked Incentive  (PLI)  Scheme.  The  PLI  Scheme  has  been  implemented  in  14  key  sectors including automobiles, pharmaceuticals, food products, mobile manufacturing, drones etc with a total outlay of Rs.1.97 lakh crore (approx. USD 26 billion).

v)  Government  is  also  implementing  a  number  of  targeted  programmes  for  overall balanced development in the country such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  (MGNREGA), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), National  Social  Assistance  Programme  (NSAP),  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan-Dhan  Yojana (PMJDY),  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyaya  Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana  (DDU-GKY), Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Stand-Up India Scheme etc.

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