Suman K Bery Highlights India’s Progress on Sustainable Development Goals at UN Forum

New York [US], July 16: Suman K Bery, Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, spoke at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) General Debate. He highlighted India’s significant contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in reducing poverty.

Progress in Reducing Poverty

Bery stated that India is on track to achieve its SDG Goal 1.2 of halving the percentage of people living in poverty well before the 2030 deadline. Between 2015-16 and 2019-21, around 135 million Indians escaped multidimensional poverty through social safety nets, infrastructure development, and financial inclusion programs.

National Safety Net Programs

India’s success is attributed to national safety net programs, digital infrastructure, and improved women’s agency. These efforts have been implemented in a participative democratic framework with orderly transfers of power.

Health and Food Security

Over 500 million Indians benefit from cashless health insurance, reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure from 63% in 2014 to 39% in 2024. During the pandemic, India guaranteed free food supplies to over 800 million citizens, making it the largest food security program in the world.

Climate Action and Global Partnerships

India has invested heavily in renewable energy and decarbonization, despite having low per capita emissions. During its G20 Presidency, India emphasized partnerships to facilitate financing, technology, and capacity building for the global south, adopting the G20 Action Plan for accelerating the SDGs.