India against perception-based measures to monitor SDGs

India has stressed on the need for verifiable outcome indicators for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the progress made in their achievements, recommending against perception-based measures that are "routinely manipulated".
During a Ministerial segment of the High Level Political Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council here, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation has evolved a list of national indicators for monitoring the 17 ambitious global goals.
"Our emphasis in this regard has been strictly on verifiable outcome indicators and not perception-based measures. We strongly recommend against perception-based measures, which are routinely manipulated to suit one's own prejudices and ideology," he said at the session yesterday.

Panagariya said India believes with sustained efforts at the national and global levels, eradication of poverty will be possible.
He informed the session that the National Institution for Transforming India or NITI Aayog has mapped the SDGs and targets to various government ministries and initiatives.
The institution has also released a draft 3-year Action Agenda to fast-track the national development goals, which are reflected in the SDGs.

He outlined the measures being taken by the Indian government towards achieving national goals of poverty eradication and empowerment of women and the girl child.
"Even as it combats poverty, India remains committed to protecting the environment. It has offered ambitious set of Nationally Determined Commitments as a part of the Paris Agreement," he said.

He added that to mobilise domestic revenue resources, the government recently enacted the Goods and Services Tax (GST). "But we also count on the developed countries making good on their commitment to provide additional means of implementation," he said.