The post-COVID-19 development transitions should be managed through people-centric agendas, robust civic engagements and vibrant public-private partnerships, as such an approach will help make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) intended to be achieved by 2030, according to the findings of a research conducted by a development studies institution here.
The challenges could be met through the government’s partnership with private institutions and industry as co-drivers of growth for greater public good, it said. Overcoming the digital divide and capacity building of weaker sections were identified as other important elements to bring the economy back on rails.
The School of Development Studies (SDS) at the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) here took up the research to identify the areas of intervention for ensuring people’s welfare during the pandemic and equipping them to face the third wave, which is likely to hit the rural areas later this year.
At a virtual national conclave for holding deliberations on challenges and opportunities post-COVID, IIHMR president P.R. Sodani said though the outcomes of research were meant for betterment of the community at large, the Union and State governments would play an important role in rehabilitation of the affected people.
While Dr. Sodani said the key stakeholders should join hands to achieve the 17 interlinked SDGs designed to achieve sustainable future for all, Goutam Sadhu, professor at the SDS, laid emphasis on the role of professionals in the development, healthcare and livelihood sectors in tackling the challenges posed by the pandemic, which had caused economic downturn for all sections of society.
The research has highlighted the key aspects of supply chain uncertainties during the pandemic and their management implications, while recommending steps to strengthen the institutions, encourage funding through corporate social responsibility and reconstruct the rights-based approach for development.
