SDG Agenda – Partnerships in the Decade of Action
“The target to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 requires all hands on deck. We need a well-integrated pooling of resources, expertise and actions from different stakeholders to achieve our 2030 Agenda. India needs a multi-stakeholder partnership to attain the 17 entwined SDGs and 169 targets. The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted the journey towards this goal and this article focuses on India’s initiative towards attaining SDGs and also discusses about the impact of COVID 19 on scoreboard of SDGs. Further, the article focuses on what initiatives stakeholders have taken to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Read on…”
1 Introduction: From MDGs to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The historic Millennium Declaration had been signed by leaders from 189 countries gathered at the United Nations headquarters in September 2000, in which they pledged to meet a set of eight measurable goals by the year 2015, ranging from halving extreme poverty and hunger to promoting gender equality and lowering child mortality. After 2015, as work on the new goals began, the legacy and accomplishments of the MDGs give essential insights and perspectives.
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly officially approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a set of 17 SDGs replaced the MDGs and they are universal, integrated, and transformative. From 2016 to 2030, the goals must be implemented and achieved in every country. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1 are an inter-governmental set of aspirational goals with 169 targets to alter the planet following the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
India is a signatory to the SDGs and has noble ambitions. All SDGs are extremely important and relevant in India. In terms of the Millennium Development Goals, India failed to meet the targets on 8 out of 12 targets recognized as relevant from India’s standpoint (Millennium Development Goals India Country Report, 2015)2.
2 India Moving Towards Attainment of SDGs & Key Milestones
India has adopted the UN SDG framework and has aligned its priorities according to the global goals. The Government of India is taking all possible steps in fulfilling the framework, supervising the development, and bringing on board different stakeholders in the voyage towards accomplishment of the targets. India is a large and diverse country and each region requires different ways of handling the accomplishment of the SDGs. Government has taken many actions to localize the SDG goals.
Indian business houses, being the most important stakeholder, have started adopting the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit) which is a very important step in attainment of the SDGs. Indian civil society organizations which are an important stakeholder in the attainment of SDGs have been making incredible contributions through spreading awareness and educating the society about the framework. This gives a comprehensive society-based approach towards attainment of the SDGs.
Coverage of citizens by health insurance covering more than 500 million citizens under Ayushman Bharat.
“Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” building millions of household toilets and achieving 99% electrification of Indian villages.
Dramatic improvement in the global Ease of Doing Business ranking from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2021.
Unprecedented capacity additions in renewable power generation towards the national 175 GW target.
While India has been doing fairly well in accomplishing the SDGs, the task ahead is a grueling assignment. With huge population size, diverse regions with different economic, social and cultural backgrounds, this is a daunting challenge. COVID-19 has further pushed us back in accomplishing the target and created several challenges. Bringing the economy back to track and accomplishing the SDGs targets is the most pressing task which requires partnership among different stakeholders.
India also needs to focus on gender equality, nutrition accomplishment, education at all levels, pollution reduction and employment generation. The SDG India Index is one of the most important steps taken by the government which measures the SDG progress at the state level. The index also facilitates to stimulate competition among the states which eventually will drive the achievement of the SDG targets.
3 Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSP) – Response to the Pandemic
COVID-19 has provoked an extraordinary multiple-sector quick response. Governments, public sector, private sector, international organizations, and society’s immediate collaboration is required to accelerate the effort against COVID-19. Partnerships between public and private sector, public sector and society, and private sector and society are the desired ones for the accomplishment of the SDGs.
The ACT Accelerator (Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator) is one such stellar example which has given increased access to shared knowledge, technology, data and resources globally.
Table 1 – India SDGs Scoreboard with Indicator of Performance
| SDG Goals | Improvement in Performance | Impact of COVID-19 on SDG Goals |
|---|---|---|
|
SDG 1. No Poverty |
← Decline (Red) | COVID-19 is estimated to have pushed an additional 354 million people below the poverty line (Kumar, 20203) bringing the overall poverty rate to 46.3 percent. It has also boosted the rate of unemployment to 27.1 percent (Express Healthcare, 20204) with informal labourers and small traders accounting for more than three quarters. |
|
SDG 2. Zero Hunger |
← Decline (Red) | Extreme food insecurity affects an estimated 16 million people (8 percent of the total undernourished population). Due to the pause in mid-day meals, 97 million youngsters are at risk of malnutrition (Business World, 20205). |
|
SDG 3. Good Health and Well Being |
→ Improvement (Green) | While the pandemic has brought public health to the forefront, with increased financing and policy attention, the focus on COVID-19 care has hampered the delivery of some critical health services, with 1 million children at danger of missing immunization (Business Line, 20206). |
|
SDG 4. Quality Education |
↔ No Change (Blue) | Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, education of over 154 crore students has been disrupted. This increases the gender gap in education as girls are more at risk than boys. The dropout rate of girls is high at the secondary level (19.8%) as compared to primary (6.3%); very few complete their education till Class 12 (Sonawane, 20207). |
|
SDG 5. Gender Equality |
→ Improvement (Green) | Women have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, which has resulted in an increase in occurrences of domestic violence calls by 27 percent (Iyengar and Defterios, 20198). |
|
SDG 6. Clean Water and Sanitization |
→ Improvement (Green) | Due to increased handwashing, COVID-19 has resulted in a 20% increase in per capita water consumption. COVID-19 has become more prevalent in locations where there is a lack of clean water, inadequate sanitation, and long distances to water sources (Aggarwal, 20199). |
|
SDG 7. Affordable and Clean Energy |
→ Improvement (Green) | In the first four months of the lockdown, COVID-19 had a transient positive impact on energy usage, with per capita power use falling by 13% (Parnell, 202010). |
|
SDG 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth |
← Decline (Red) | There has been a severe impact on economic growth, with GDP contractions of -7.965 percent in 2020 and 14.8 percent expected in 2021 (Dave, 202011). This has had a cascading effect on employment and per capita income. |
|
SDG 9. Industry Innovation and Infrastructure |
→ Improvement (Green) | The industrial sector took the brunt of the economic downturn, with the Index of Industrial Production falling by 55 percent (Press Information Bureau, 202012). Cost escalations and project delays report cost overruns of INR 4 lakh crores for 1,682 projects (Science Based Projects, 202013) in the infrastructure industry. |
|
SDG 10. Reduce Inequalities |
← Decline (Red) | COVID-19 has expanded inequality: the wealth of billionaires increased by 35% during the lockdown and by 90% since 2009. It would take an unskilled worker 10,000 years to make what Mukesh Ambani made in an hour during the pandemic, and 3 years to make what he made in a second (The Wire, 202114). |
|
SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities |
→ Improvement (Green) | During the shutdown, 2.6 million migrants were stranded across metropolitan India, highlighting the lack of inclusive cities (Patel, 202015). Furthermore, with more than three people per room, 42 percent of households (HHs) in India are unsuitable for social distancing, indicating a lack of progress toward sustainable communities and affordable homes (UNDP, 201616). |
|
SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production |
NA | During the lockdown, resource consumption fell by 44 percent (although it has since recovered to pre-lockdown levels), while minerals such as coal saw a decrease in demand (-16 percent in March). However, garbage creation grew, with India producing 18,000 tonnes of COVID-19 waste (Business Roundtable, 201717). |
|
SDG 13. Climate Action |
NA | COVID-19 had a favorable influence on climate change, resulting in a 26 percent reduction in emissions during the lockdown period and an overall reduction of 8.2 percent in 2020. It has also attracted more attention to climate change and the need to conserve to avoid future disasters (Shead, 202018). |
|
SDG 14. Life Below Water |
NA | It was expected that India will produce over 18,000 tonnes of COVID-19 trash by 2020, with a substantial percentage of that being plastics (gloves, masks, sanitizer bottles) and medical waste tossed into inland lakes, rivers, and oceans, exacerbating marine pollution. The COVID-19 shutdown has had a negative impact on the fisheries industry, resulting in a decrease in production and exports due to fishing restrictions (Accenture and Global Compact Network India, 202119). |
|
SDG 15. Life on Land |
← Decline (Red) | The COVID-19-related lockdown resulted in an increase in urban wildlife appearances. Wildlife poaching, on the other hand, more than doubled during the COVID-19 lockdown, with 88 incidents compared to 35 in the 2019 year (Mishra, 202120). |
|
SDG 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions |
→ Improvement (Green) | COVID-19 had a major impact on judicial activity, with a 95 percent drop in cases filed due to the courts’ inability to function during the lockdown. Serious crime rates, on the other hand, have dropped by 40 percent to 50 percent (Business World, 202121). |
|
SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals |
NA | COVID-19 sparked a surge in international cooperation to achieve development goals, particularly in the field of public health. A vast number of Indian companies, including Serum Institute of India (SII), Zydus Cadila, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), and Bharat Biotech, have partnered with international organizations for R&D and manufacturing to create COVID-19 vaccines. In bilateral agreements, there was also more traction on education, health, and economic growth (Accenture and Global Compact Network India, 2021). |
4 Pathways and Realignment Opportunities for Recovery and Development
When it comes to the SDGs, various stakeholders (governments, private companies, NGOs, and civil society) have already taken the road to realize value and achieve shared success. By aligning company strategy with the SDGs, global concerns can be turned into business opportunities while also helping to make the world a better place. Businesses can use the SDGs as a strategic framework to track performance, create targets, and engage with diverse stakeholders. In order to encourage private investment in important industries, the Indian government has implemented a variety of policies, programmes, and packages.
The realignment strategy details the focus area of each SDG, the initiatives taken by Government, and the investments made by stakeholders across three overarching strategic pillars:
Pillar 1: Build a Strong and Resilient Economy (SDGs 3, 4, 11)
a. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being – Telemedicine & Digital Health Infrastructure
The focus area is “Telemedicine” which includes ICT to exchange patient information and provide healthcare services in remote regions. Through collaboration, NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) have released Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, establishing the regulatory groundwork for remote clinical consultations. The National Health Stack (NHS) and National eHealth Authority (NeHA) have launched a digital framework aiming to compile digital health records of all citizens by 2022. Driven by this expansion, hospital mergers and acquisitions increased by 155 percent to INR 76.15 billion (USD 1.09 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 2019 (Cyrill, 202022).
b. SDG 4: Quality Education – EdTech & Digital Learning Platforms
The focus area is “EdTech”, targeting to make education accessible via technology instruments. The Government developed SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), a holistic platform connecting online courses. Approximately 1.02 crore students have enrolled under 2,769 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)23. Underscoring massive private capital inflow, investment in ed-tech startups surged fourfold from USD 409 million in 2019 to USD 1.5 billion in 2020.
c. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Affordable Housing & Urban PPP Models
The focus area is “Affordable Housing”, providing economical dwellings for persons with median household income or less. The Government supports cheaper home loan interest rates and framed the Public Private Partnerships for Affordable Housing policy to attract private capital. With assistance from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) formulated the “Policy on Housing for All in Urban Areas”, representing India’s first-ever Public Private Partnership (PPP) for affordable housing.
Pillar 2: Opportunities for Equitable Business Growth (SDGs 1, 8, 9)
d. SDG 1: No Poverty – Financial Inclusion Through Fintech
The focus area is “Financial Inclusion through Fintech”, encompassing delivery of formal financial products and services to every citizen and enterprise. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), over 365 million accounts have been opened. Under the National Mission for Financial Inclusion (NMFI), 2014, over 35 crore people were brought into the formal banking system. Furthermore, Financial Software and Systems (FSS) partnered with India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) using FSS’s Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AePS) to deliver doorstep financial services across rural India.
e. SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth – Remote Working & Virtualization Enablement
The focus area is “Remote Working (Virtualization enablement)”, structuring workplace environments so employees eliminate daily commuting. Due to COVID-19, widespread work-from-home practices removed over 10,000 vehicles from roads over a year, cutting 29,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions (Prasad, 202024).
f. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – E-Commerce & Digital India Infrastructure
The focus area is “E-Commerce and Delivery Services”, empowering entrepreneurs to scale operations and revive economic activity. To accelerate national digitalization, the Government established flagship platforms including UMANG, Startup India Portal, and Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) under the comprehensive Digital India movement.
Pillar 3: Opportunities to Strengthen the Green Economy (SDGs 7, 13)
g. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – Solar Expansion & Gigawatt Targets
Focused on accelerating transition to renewable, zero-emission power. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), India’s initial 20 GW solar PV target was surpassed in 2018—four years ahead of the 2022 deadline—prompting the Government to raise the target to 100 GW solar and 175 GW total renewable capacity. In corporate consolidation, ReNew Power acquired Ostro Energy for INR 60,000 million (USD 836 million) in March 2018 to bolster green energy generation.
h. SDG 13: Climate Action – Electric Mobility & Gigafactory Ecosystems
Focused on scaling EV production and adoption. Policy interventions include eliminating customs duties on key EV components, slashing GST on electric vehicles from 28% down to 5%, and granting an income tax deduction of INR 1.5 lakh on EV loans. Nearly a dozen states, led by Delhi, formulated dedicated EV policies. The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) projects over USD 3 billion in investment across four domestic “giga factories”, while Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) initiated consortium talks to construct India’s first Lithium-ion Gigafactory.
i. SDG 13: Climate Action – Green Finance & Sustainable Capital Instruments
Focuses on mobilizing sustainable capital. SIDBI launched the Sustainable Finance Scheme for renewable energy, BEE star ratings, green microfinance, and eco-labelling. Hero Future Energies issued INR 300 crore in Climate Bonds certified green bonds in 2016. Yes Bank became India’s sole commercial bank signatory to the UNEP FI Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB).
5 Conclusion: Subnational Localisation & Multi-Stakeholder Action
With a vigorous SDG localisation model which exemplifies our belief in cooperative and competitive federalism, buoyed by evidence-based policy-making mechanisms, India has marched ahead on multiple facades which are key to achieving these Goals. The SDG India Index and Dashboards – the first government-led measure of subnational progress on SDGs, have provided guidance to endeavors of subnational governments. But COVID-19 has shaken the growth rate and has created a sea of tasks to be accomplished for the 2030 agenda. A unified strong multi-stakeholder partnership among the centre, states, community, business and society is the answer to this massive problem.
The shockwaves from the pandemic COVID 19 will further disrupt society’s socio-economic structure and harm the natural environment unless decisive efforts are aimed at achieving sustainable growth. This is the decade for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and leaders must commit to increase sustainability and accountability. A number of stakeholders have begun to take steps in this approach. The Indian government has been aggressively enacting laws to increase renewable energy production and focus investments on clean energy and electric mobility in India.
To foster start-up concepts aiming at social innovation, private investments are being pooled. With the government’s increasing support and incentives, India is becoming an appealing destination for many big private companies’ sustainability-focused products and services. An environment like this is favorable for appealing, sustainable, and implementable routes to recover and expand in order to achieve SDG goals. It is time to seize the emerging opportunities, capitalize on capabilities and strengths, and reimagine a more equitable, inclusive, and greener world.
References & Footnotes
- Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from (https://www1.undp.org/content/oslo-governance-centre/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/background.html) on 11/07/2021.
- Millennium Development Goals, India Country Report 2015. Retrieved from: http://mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/publication_reports/mdg_2july15_1.pdf
- Kumar, S. (July 19, 2020). Opinion Impact of COVID 19 pandemic on food security of India. Economic Times. Retrieved from: (https://government.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/opinon-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-food-security-of-india/77048453) on 10/07/2021.
- India’s Health system will witness the ripple effects of the COVID 19 pandemic (July 16, 2020). Express Healthcare. Retrieved from (https://www.expresshealthcare.in/blogs/indias-health-sys-tem-will-witness-the-ripple-effects-of-covid-19/423343/) on 10/07/2021.
- COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Pace of Broadband Penetration in India: (November 6, 2020). Business World. Retrieved from (http://www.businessworld.in/article/COVID-19-pandemic-accelerated-pace-of-broadband-penetration-in-India-06-11-2020-339934/) on 11/07/2021.
- Fintech: Digital Payments got a COVID boost in 2020, Business Line (25 December, 2020). Retrieved from (https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/money-and-banking/digital-payments-got-a-covid-boost-in-2020/article33419349.ece) on 10/07/2021.
- Sonawane, S. (December 1, 2020). The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 on School Education. CBGA. Retrieved from (https://www.cbgaindia.org/blog/gendered-impact-covid-19-school-education/) on 14/07/2021.
- Iyengar, R. and Defterios, J. (July 1, 2019). Women are bringing solar energy to thousands of Indian villages. CNN Business. Retrieved from (https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/01/business/india-solar-frontier-markets/index.html) on 09/07/2021.
- Agarwal, R. (August 16, 2019). Auto slump to hit investors, Indian economy; Here’s what government needs to do. Financial Express. Retrieved from (https://www.financialexpress.com/money/auto-slump-to-hit-investors-indian-economy-heres-what-government-needs-to-do/1677080/) on 09/07/2021.
- Parnell, J. (January 14, 2020). WoodMac: Volkswagen will be world’s Biggest Electric Car maker by 2030. Greentech Media. Retrieved from (https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/volkswagen-will-be-worlds-biggest-ev-manufacturer-by-2030) on 10/07/2021.
- Dave, S. (August 11, 2020). India GDP to shrink by 4.5% in 2020 due to COVID 19 pandemic: Dun & Bradstreet Report. Retrieved from (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/india-gdp-to-shrink-by-4-5-in-2020-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-dun-bradstreet-report/articleshow/77483208.cms?from=mdr) on 10/07/2021.
- Launch of ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ is a “Watershed” moment in the economic history of India: Raksha Mantri. PIB Delhi (December 14, 2020). Retrieved from (https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1680603) on 11/07/2021.
- Companies Taking Action. Science Based Targets. Retrieved from (https://sciencebasedtargets.org/companies-taking-action/) on 10/07/2021.
- COVID-19 Sharpened Inequalities in India, Billionaires’ Wealth Increased by 35%: Report. The Wire (January 25, 2021). Retrieved from (https://thewire.in/rights/covid-19-sharpened-inequalities-in-india-billionaires-wealth-increased-by-35-report) on 11/07/2021.
- Patel, C. (July 13, 2020). COVID-19: The Hidden Majority in India’s Migration Crisis. Chatham House. Retrieved from (https://www.chathamhouse.org/2020/07/covid-19-hidden-majority-indias-migration-crisis) on 14/07/2021.
- Mapping Mining to the SDGs: An Atlas. UNDP (2016). Retrieved from (https://www.undp.org/publications/mapping-mining-sdgs-atlas) on 10/07/2021.
- Work in Progress. How CEOs are helping Close America’s skill gap. Business Roundtable (2017). Retrieved from (https://s3.amazonaws.com/brt.org/archive/immigration_reports/BRT%20Work%20in%20Progress_0.pdf) on 10/07/2021.
- Shead, S. (July 16, 2020). Tesla plans to use Glencore cobalt in new Gigafactories. CNBC. Retrieved from (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/16/tesla-glencore-cobalt-gigafactory.html) on 10/07/2021.
- Raising India’s SDG Ambition-Pathways for sustainable recovery and growth, Accenture (2021). Retrieved from https://www.globalcompact.in/uploads/knowledge-center/1612422074raising-india-sdg-accenture-white-paper-15th-convention.pdf
- Mishra, D. (September 21, 2021). Edtech funding jumps 4x to USD 1.5 billion this year. Times of India. Retrieved from (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/edtech-funding-jumps-4x-to-1-5bn-this-yr/articleshow/78224787.cms)
- Mindspark in Rajasthan: Personalized Adaptive Learning Tools To Improve Learning Outcomes. Business World (July 12, 2021). Retrieved from (http://www.businessworld.in/article/Mindspark-In-Rajasthan-Personalized-Adaptive-Learning-Tools-To-Improve-Learning-Outcomes/01-11-2019-178372/) on 10/07/2021.
- Cyrill, M. (October 22, 2021). India’s Healthcare Investment Outlook: A Brief Profile. Retrieved from (https://www.india-briefing.com/news/indias-healthcare-investment-outlook-a-brief-profile-20757.html/) on 10/07/2021.
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Education. Retrieved from (Various initiatives have been taken to promote digital learning under ‘National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology’ (NMEICT) (pib.gov.in)) on 10/07/2021.
- Prasad, N.T. (August 31, 2020). India power demand is almost back to pre-covid levels: POSOCO Report. Retrieved from (India’s Power Demand is Almost Back to Pre-COVID Levels: POSOCO Report - Mercom India) on 10/07/2021.