SHIMLA-19^th November, 2024-The Green and Sustainable Development Partnership (GSDP) project was launched in Himachal Pradesh under the Indo-German collaboration here today. The initiative aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots level.

On the occasion Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena the Chief Guest said that Himachal Pradesh was a frontrunner state in SDG implementation and was selected as the first state to pilot this partnership activity. He highlighted the unique geographical challenges of the state and emphasized the importance of addressing them while striving for sustainable development. He said that climate change poses significant challenges and the state government was committed to meet the SDG targets. He said that the state has achieved remarkable progress in green and sustainable development and this project would further focus on capacity building, knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement. Activities planned for 2024-25 include workshops, webinars and awareness programmes and topics like renewable energy, e-mobility and water conservation would be addressed through national and international webinars.

Prabodh Saxena said that apart from this the awareness programmes would be conducted and informational materials would be distributed to educate stakeholders at the state and district levels. He said that training sessions would focus on identifying resources to effectively implement SDGs at the local level. He said that efforts would follow an integrated plan to ensure the successful implementation of the state government's vision document.

On the occasion, Dr. Rajiv Kumar Sen, Senior Advisor to NITI Aayog, emphasized the importance of achieving SDGs at the grassroots level for which proactive efforts from all stakeholders were essential to meet these goals. While praising the work of the state government on SDG implementation, Dr. Sen highlighted the excellent performance of Himachal in the SDG India Index, which reflects the dedication and hard work of the state government.

Principal Secretary Planning Devesh Kumar said that the state government was implementing development schemes in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He said that Himachal Pradesh was one of the leading states in achieving green and sustainable development. He urged all stakeholders to coordinate with NITI Aayog to ensure the effective implementation of these goals. He said that to achieve the goals the government would work with its focus on integrated planning, capacity building, and resource utilization and would ensure regular monitoring and evaluation at the local level. He said that to support these efforts 11 working groups comprising various stakeholders have been formed, to ensure the smooth implementation of development schemes. The SDG Coordination and Accreditation Centre Foundation were expected to play a key role in achieving these objectives.

Project Chairman GSDP Dr. Gorald Goswami gave detailed information of the Indo-German collaboration in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Deputy Secretary NITI Aayog Hemant Kumar and Planning Department Principal Advisor Dr. Basu Sood also gave presentations during the event.

The senior officials and stakeholders of various departments were also present on the occasion.