OdishaLIVE Bureau
Three day Odisha Vikash Conclave for development of the state
Social exclusion, malnutrition and degradation in quality education are the major challenges and break the speed of development process. Grassroots level development needs inclusion of all the stakeholders like civil society organizations, policy makers, government officials, academia and community-based organizations, said Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Government of India at the inauguration of Odisha Vikash Conclave-2018.
The conclave will focus on 19 thematic tracks of social sector to deliberate pathways to the sustainable development agenda of the state.
“Odisha Vikash Conclave is a unique opportunity for all the stakeholders like academia, policy makers, civil society organizations and community based organisations to build up inclusive development” said Dharamendra Pradhan, Union Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development Minister, Government of India. The state government should initiate such conclaves and listen to the voices from the ground to accelerate the development process.
Four out of 10 children in the state are under nourished and mentally unhealthy. The major cause of this situation is lack of adequate nutrition and balanced diet, unhealthy environment and unhygienic practices.
A developing country like India has higher human resources, so the government may invest in human capital and social sector to increase the status of human development index. Highly skilled human resources are needed for employment in labour intensive manufacturing sectors, which is the only alternative for the development of the state, said Dr. Kumar.
All the schemes of center and state are beautifully designed but timely delivery and implementation is a major challenge now-a-days, he added. If all citizens will put one step ahead in a collaborative way,then the state will grow rapidly.
Working and making partnership among government and non government actors holds good taste in sustainable development agenda. Social organizations have a vital role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and it can be possible only through synergy building and collaboration among all the development actors, said Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Co-chair on Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education and President, PRIA.
Kalahandi, Kandhamaal, Sundargarh, Koraput, Malkangir, and many other tribal districts in the state suffer from an impoverished life style. Development agenda can be accelerated in these unreachable pockets through sensitizing people and ensuring participation in grassroots planning process.
Gram Sabha and Palli Sabha in Panchayati Raj system have ample scope for participatory planning at village and gram panchayat level, need to be strengthened to ensure participation and inclusive development, said Padmashree Tulasi Munda, Eminent Social Activist.
This year, the conclave aimed to be free from use of plastics and accessible to persons with disability, said Jagadananda, Convener of Odisha Vikash Conclave and Co-founder, CYSD during his welcome speech.
