NITI Aayog workshop focuses on strengthening SDG budgeting across states, UTs

Kolkata, October 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

NITI Aayog held a national workshop on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) budgeting in Kolkata to help strengthen the alignment of state planning and budgetary processes with development goals.

Organised under NITI Aayog’s State Support Mission in collaboration with the West Bengal government and with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the workshop focused on institutionalising SDG budget tagging at the state level.

West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said SDG budget tagging can establish a clear link between development goals and targets, budget allocations and the agencies responsible for implementing programmes.

NITI Aayog Member R. Balasubramaniam said mapping SDGs to state expenditure was an important step towards ensuring that public spending remained aligned with development priorities.

The workshop also discussed the “Guide on Mapping State Budgets to the SDGs”, jointly developed by NITI Aayog, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and UNDP. The guide provides a framework for linking state budgets with SDG targets.

Participants discussed methods for identifying expenditure for SDG tagging, deciding the appropriate level of tagging, linking expenditure with relevant Heads of Account and SDG targets, and assigning values through NITI Aayog’s scheme-SDG mapping.

The sessions also covered the integration of SDG budgeting into the annual budget cycle, including institutional responsibilities, reconciliation, quality assurance, reporting and performance audits.

Officials and representatives from 32 states and Union Territories attended the workshop, along with participants from NITI Aayog, CAG, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and other government bodies.

Representatives from UNDP, the UN Resident Coordinator Office, development partners, industry bodies and private-sector organisations also participated.

A separate session examined the role of the private sector in advancing the SDGs through policy frameworks, innovative financing and responsible business practices.

NITI Aayog said the workshop reaffirmed its commitment to supporting states and Union Territories in integrating SDGs into their planning, budgeting and governance processes.