Karnataka faces uphill battle on 2030 development targets

By 2030, Karnataka will have to mobilise Rs 9.87 lakh crore to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, even as the state faces serious challenges in poverty, hunger and gender equality among other areas, a government document has revealed.

According to the 400-page vision document prepared by the government, the state will have to spend Rs 9.87 lakh crore to meet the targets. But if the current spending on SDGs continues, the government will need Rs 1.98 lakh crore more over the next ten years to meet the goals.

There are 17 SDGs that the UN adopted in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity to all people by 2030.

When the Niti Aayog released its SDG India Index for 2019, Karnataka’s score on several parameters was lower compared with 2018. On a scale of 100, Karnataka scored below 49 on poverty, hunger, gender equality, industry innovation & infrastructure and sustainable cities and communities. In 14 other goals, Karnataka is below the national average on some specific indicators.

“Regional disparity across the state is so high that many of the northern Karnataka districts performance is very poor and at par with BIMARU states,” the report states about poverty, adding: “The state average is pulled down due to these extreme variations in the state.”

When it comes to hunger, the situation is ‘alarming’ in seven districts and ‘serious’ in seven others, most of them in north Karnataka, according to the report. “In the state, more than 60.9% of children aged 6‐59 months and 45.4% of pregnant women aged 15‐49 years are anaemic. This calls for a multiple thronged strategy...”

Specifically, Karnataka is below the national average when it comes to the percentage of households that have a member covered by a health scheme or insurance, HIV incidence per 1,000 uninfected, the annual dropout rate at secondary education, the ratio of transgender labour force participation against males among others.

“This is a policy document whose implementation is up to the government,” Karnataka State Planning Board deputy chairman BJ Puttaswamy said. “The SDGs will determine the development of the state and the nation. The government should take it seriously.”

The government will have to reprioritise budgetary resources and integrate all programmes and policies to align with the SDGs, the report states.