Patna: The state government on Tuesday announced it would formulate a comprehensive working plan to achieve the aims of sustainable development goals, which were formulated during an international convention on the same subject charted out in 2015 in Paris.
The state government made the announcement during a special debate in the Assembly on the issue of sustainable development on the concluding day of the budget session of the state legislature after which the House was adjourned sine die.
Some of the important goals set in the Paris convention, which are targeted to be achieved by 2030, include things like end of poverty and hunger, ensure healthy lives, gender equality, ensure access to affordable and sustainable energy for all, reduce inequality within and among countries, ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Giving the government's reply on the debate, road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav announced: "To achieve the desired goals a comprehensive working plan would be formulated and budgetary allocations would be made accordingly." He said a committee of senior government officials would be set up to assess the funds required for the purpose." The minister added that a monitoring system would be put in place for doing regular assessment of the works being done for the purpose. The minister also announced that the Centre would be approached to facilitate international funds to the state for achieving the desired goals.
Introducing the subject of the debate to the members of the House, Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary spoke at length about the importance of the subject and underlined the importance of active role of people's representatives in achieving the goals. He also urged the members to make the debate construction and meaningful. The debate, however, did take political colours at times when members of Opposition and Treasury benches spoke about it.
While Opposition members Lalit Yadav (RJD), Ramdeo Rai (Congress), Mohammad Nemtullah (RJD) and Sudama Prasad of (CPI-ML), punched holes in the claims of the government about the works being done for the deprived sections of the society, those from the Treasury, Ranju Gita, Ashok Kumar Singh and Shyam Rajak (all from JDU), highlighted the good works done by the Nitish Kumar government.