Abstract:
The tag line of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ‘leave no one
behind’. The basic thrust and need today is, if not eradicate, then at least take
steps to alleviate poverty. The common goals given by the United Nations has
been the most unique and mammoth achievement to which 193 countries,
including India, pledged to work to attain the SDGs goals. Inclusive
Sustainable Development depends upon the relief of poverty of the
marginalised and the extremely poor. This is not to undermine the fact that the
other indicators like health, education, clean water, environment and other
SDGs can be ignored but the masses living in misery without a square meal a
day cannot fathom life beyond the basic needs. The SDGs require rapid and
absolute transformation of societies across the world to achieve the SDGs by
2030. The Government of India has initiated many programmes and as
directed the states to formulate their budgets in alignment with the SDGs. The
main purpose of this paper is to discusses poverty alleviation attempts initiated
by the State of Himachal Pradesh in India. This study is mainly based on the
secondary data. Himachal Pradesh has successfully maintained a balanced
economic growth by minimizing the poverty rate through appreciable
development results. The state managed to decrease poverty four times in
between the years 1993-94 and 2011. In Himachal Pradesh, approximately 90
% of the population lives in the rural areas. It is commendable that the state
has achieved a reduction in the rural poverty from 36.8% to 8.5%. This shows
that the state has achieved the goals of SDG to a considerable extent and its methods must be considered as good practices for the other developing
nations.
