Hyderabad, 1 August 2022: A national level Training of Trainers (ToT) Program for Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) has been inaugurated today at NIRDPR, Hyderabad by Shri. S.M. Vijayanand, IAS (Retd) Former Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), Government of India. In his inaugural address, Shri Vijayanand emphasized the significance of planning for socially secured Gram Panchayats through social inclusion, social justice, and equity for the marginalized sections. To deliver on SDGs at the local level by the 2.54 lakh Gram Panchayats in the country, the expert committee constituted by the MoPR recommended 9 thematic areas along with 168 local targets and 389 indicators. Now the Gram Panchayats while formulating the Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), will have to take into account the local contexts in the achievement of SDGs right from setting targets to determining the means of implementation and using indicators to monitor the progress. A training calendar is being planned out by NIRDPR to train 200 State Level Master Trainers (SLMTs) in each theme in 40 batches @ 50 persons per batch for Capacity Building & Training of Panchayats on LSDGs. Meeting the requirement of the LSDGs, the first batch of the ToT program on “Theme 7- Socially Secured and Socially Just Village” is being organized from 01 – 03 August 2022. A total number of 51 participants from six states covering Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal are attending this training of trainers program.
At the outset, Dr. Anjan Kumar Bhanja, Faculty & Head, CPRDP&SSD, NIRDPR welcomed the participants and explained the background and objectives of the training of the SLMTs. He highlighted the thematic approach to GPDP and the joint advisories issued by different Ministries for LSDGs.Addressing the participants Dr. Pratyusna Patnaik, Faculty & Programme Director, CPRDP&SSD highlighted the targets and indicators of Theme 7 of LSDGs and emphasized the participation and inclusiveness of marginalized sections in local governance for achieving socially secured village and socially just village. On the second day of the program, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, IAS, Additional Secretary, MoPR, Government of India, joined online and had intense interaction with the SLMTs. He suggested that NIRDPR will develop a portal for maintaining the database of SLMTs and tracking the field-level training activities conducted by them. He said that each Gram Panchayat shall take a “Sankalp” on a minimum of one and a maximum of 3 themes to saturate on related goals in the next 2-3 years. He also advised each SLMT to adopt five Gram Panchayat in their respective state.
The outcome of this residential ToT Programme will enrich the resource persons with substantial knowledge, skills, and attitude, about the rationale and policy of the thematic approach to mainstreaming of LSDGs in Panchayats. After completion of the ToT of SLMTs, each state will conduct training in cascading mode down the line and deliver field training to Panchayat functionaries on LSDGs. About NIRDPR The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR), Hyderabad an autonomous organization under the Union Ministry of Rural Development. It is a premier national center of excellence in rural development and Panchayati Raj. Recognized internationally as one of the UN-ESCAP Centres of Excellence, As a “think-tank” for the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, NIRDPR acts as a repository of knowledge on rural development and assists the ministries in policy formulation in rural development to usher in the changes. NIRDPR builds the capacities of rural development functionaries, elected representatives of PRIs, bankers, NGOs, and other stakeholders through inter-related activities of training, research, and consultancy. The focus of the institute is on the policies and programs that benefit the rural poor, energize the democratic decentralization processes, improve the operational efficiency of rural development personnel, promote the transfer of technology and create environmental awareness.
