TR Zeliang presented the Nagaland SDG Action Awards 2025 in Kohima
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DIMAPUR — The Nagaland SDG Action Awards 2025 and State-Level Consultation on SDG India Index 4.0 and NER District SDG Index 2.0 were held at the Capital Convention Centre, Kohima, on Friday.
Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang, the guest of honour, highlighted the significance of the platform in bringing together all departments to reflect, recognise, and set a roadmap for a common development agenda under the theme ‘Development for all—Leaving no one behind,’ a DIPR report stated.
Zeliang emphasised that communities are central to sustainable development, and their active participation is key to the state’s progress. He noted that Mokokchung, Kohima, and Dimapur districts ranked among the top ten districts in the North Eastern Region as per the North Eastern Region SDG District Index 2023–24.
He stated that nine districts of Nagaland have been placed in the ‘Front Runner’ category, marking significant improvement from the 2021–22 Baseline Index. Zeliang added that three districts are among the fastest mover districts, showing maximum improvements in their SDG composite scores in the entire North East Region.
Highlighting Nagaland’s balanced progress across health, education, gender equality, and infrastructure, Zeliang said the state is emerging as a leader in the North East’s sustainable development journey. He acknowledged the challenges ahead, particularly in addressing district-level indicators with weaker performance and ensuring timely, high-quality data updates across State and National portals.
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Zeliang urged continued collaboration among departments, strengthening of data systems, and sustained commitment from all stakeholders to make meaningful progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, laying a foundation for the vision of Viksit Nagaland 2047.
Congratulating the award recipients, he remarked that they represented the spirit of innovation and commitment, demonstrating that impactful change is possible even with limited resources. He encouraged them to continue inspiring others and called upon State and District officers to ensure the consultation translates into actionable district-level strategies with clear timelines and measurable outcomes.
Zeliang presented the Nagaland SDG Action Awards 2025 mementoes, certificates, and a cash prize of INR 50,000 each to Pinnacle Skill in the category of Economic Sustainability, Good Samaritan Women Society in the category of Social Development, and MOBUST Team Nagaland (Youth Net) in the category of Environment Sustainability.
Development Commissioner Temsunaro Aier, in her welcome address, stated that the government is actively aligning the Global Agenda 2030 and SDGs with Nagaland’s development priorities. She noted that state-level consultations on the SDG India Index 4.0 and NER District SDG Index 2.0 offered insights into the state’s performance, identified areas for improvement, and marked a milestone in the roadmap toward 2030, contributing to the vision of Viksit Nagaland by 2047.
Aier highlighted that the Nagaland SDG Action Awards were instituted to recognise and felicitate communities, organisations, and individuals whose initiatives addressed development challenges at the grassroots level and contributed to SDG achievement in economic sustainability, social development, and environmental sustainability. She urged all departments and districts to improve data quality, maintain updated portals, and use SDG tools for planning and course correction.
Regional Head, NER, UNDP, John Borgoyary, said that UNDP and the Government of Nagaland have been partnered since early 2019. He noted the state’s SDG achievements since 2021 and stressed that while celebrating successes, attention must be given to districts lagging behind, requiring additional efforts and innovative solutions to contribute effectively to national goals. Borgoyary emphasised implementing SDGs at district, block, and local levels, and noted that reliable data acts as a GPS, providing an accurate picture of progress.
The day-long consultation was attended by administrative and departmental heads, SDG nodal officers, deputy commissioners and representatives from all 17 districts, along with Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change & Village Guards, CL John, and MLA Dr. Tseilhoutuo Rhutso.