India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the special event on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Acceleration Actions on the margins of 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Tuesday, Amitabh Kant said collective action through international cooperation is more relevant and important than ever before in these truly unprecedented times.

He told the session that the "One Nation, One Card' initiative is an example of a recent transformative solution by India presently being implemented as a response to the pandemic.

"The first half of 2020 has underscored the importance of responsive and adaptive policy making, more than ever before. When challenges are dynamic and unprecedented, peer learning and knowledge exchange are of utmost significance. We are deeply committed to foster this spirit and accelerate progress on the SDG targets by not only focusing on the recovery but by building back better for long term transformation," Kant said.

The "One Nation, One Card' initiative ensures right-based access to food supplies and covers over 800 million people at cost as low as 3-5 cents. He added that this is operationalised through beneficiary cards issued by the sub-national governments.

"By leveraging the technological capacity meticulously built over the last few years, India is all set to roll out interoperability in making access to the Public Distribution System location independent," Kant said adding that it is a "momentous step to ensure that no one is left behind, especially the inter-state migrants."

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the power of collectivised problem solving, he said.

Under the "One Nation-One Ration Card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card. The Food Ministry aims to implement this facility across the country by March 2021.

Kant added that "invigorated and renewed synergy" between the government and the private sector has resulted in over 400,000 PPEs and 220,000 N-95 masks being manufactured in India, every day.

"In February this year, we were producing none. This aligns closely with our flagship 'Make in India' approach, through which we aim at becoming a globally competitive manufacturing hub," he said.

Meanwhile, India on Monday presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum.

India's VNR report titled "Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local' highlights not only the country's progress on the SDGs, but also captures the inclusive and participatory process followed in its preparation.

Kant told the session that India is aggressively expanding its renewable energy programme, increasing the renewable energy capacity by 75 per cent since 2014 and aiming to achieve the ambitious target of 450 GW by 2030.

"We have made the global pledge, as part of our Nationally Determined Contributions, to have 40 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources," he said, adding that India's renewable energy sector has become a prime destination for global investors, with a potential to attract 10 billion dollars of annual investments.

In the global Ease of Doing Business rankings, India has jumped 79 places in the past five years: from 142 in 2014 to 62 in 2019.

"Our structural reforms in taxation, FDI regime, and insolvency and bankruptcy have contributed to this improvement," he said.

Emphasising that 21st century challenges need 21st century solutions, Kant said the role of innovation is critical in designing solutions for SDG acceleration and building back better. Today, India is home to the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with the third largest number of unicorns.

"We firmly believe that these disruptions in the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem will accelerate our pace of achieving the SDGs," he said.

He also pointed out that the government's Aspirational Districts Programme aims at accelerating transformative socio-economic improvement in 112 districts of the country with relatively greater development challenges.

By improving the lives of over 165 million citizens in these districts in terms of health, education, basic infrastructure, agriculture and water, and financial inclusion and skill development, the initiative highlights the efficacy of the cooperative and competitive federalism approach to development, he said.

"Sharing SDG acceleration actions and successes will be incomplete without discussing SDG localisation in India. Fostering sub-national peer-learning and competitiveness is the approach we took when we released the world's first government-led sub-national SDG Index in 2018," he said.

Kant said the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which annually ranks Indian States based on their SDG performance, has reshaped the SDG framework adoption and localisation discourse in the country. It has resulted in sub-national entities instituting monitoring systems and preparing development strategies aligned to the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which are customised to the local and hyper-local context.

India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India is set to make the Public Distribution System location independent to ensure that no one, especially the inter-state migrants, is left behind, NITI Aayog CEO has said, citing the 'One Nation, One Card' initiative being implemented by the government as a transformative solution in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the special event on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Acceleration Actions on the margins of 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Tuesday, Amitabh Kant said collective action through international cooperation is more relevant and important than ever before in these truly unprecedented times. He told the session that the "One Nation, One Card' initiative is an example of a recent transformative solution by India presently being implemented as a response to the pandemic. "The first half of 2020 has underscored the importance of responsive and adaptive policy making, more than ever before. When challenges are dynamic and unprecedented, peer learning and knowledge exchange are of utmost significance. We are deeply committed to foster this spirit and accelerate progress on the SDG targets by not only focusing on the recovery but by building back better for long term transformation," Kant said. The "One Nation, One Card' initiative ensures right-based access to food supplies and covers over 800 million people at cost as low as 3-5 cents. He added that this is operationalised through beneficiary cards issued by the sub-national governments. "By leveraging the technological capacity meticulously built over the last few years, India is all set to roll out interoperability in making access to the Public Distribution System location independent," Kant said adding that it is a "momentous step to ensure that no one is left behind, especially the inter-state migrants." The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the power of collectivised problem solving, he said. Under the "One Nation-One Ration Card' initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled foodgrains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card. The Food Ministry aims to implement this facility across the country by March 2021. Kant added that "invigorated and renewed synergy" between the government and the private sector has resulted in over 400,000 PPEs and 220,000 N-95 masks being manufactured in India, every day. "In February this year, we were producing none. This aligns closely with our flagship 'Make in India' approach, through which we aim at becoming a globally competitive manufacturing hub," he said. Meanwhile, India on Monday presented its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum. India's VNR report titled "Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local' highlights not only the country's progress on the SDGs, but also captures the inclusive and participatory process followed in its preparation. Kant told the session that India is aggressively expanding its renewable energy programme, increasing the renewable energy capacity by 75 per cent since 2014 and aiming to achieve the ambitious target of 450 GW by 2030. "We have made the global pledge, as part of our Nationally Determined Contributions, to have 40 per cent of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources," he said, adding that India's renewable energy sector has become a prime destination for global investors, with a potential to attract 10 billion dollars of annual investments. In the global Ease of Doing Business rankings, India has jumped 79 places in the past five years: from 142 in 2014 to 62 in 2019. "Our structural reforms in taxation, FDI regime, and insolvency and bankruptcy have contributed to this improvement," he said. Emphasising that 21st century challenges need 21st century solutions, Kant said the role of innovation is critical in designing solutions for SDG acceleration and building back better. Today, India is home to the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with the third largest number of unicorns. "We firmly believe that these disruptions in the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem will accelerate our pace of achieving the SDGs," he said. He also pointed out that the government's Aspirational Districts Programme aims at accelerating transformative socio-economic improvement in 112 districts of the country with relatively greater development challenges. By improving the lives of over 165 million citizens in these districts in terms of health, education, basic infrastructure, agriculture and water, and financial inclusion and skill development, the initiative highlights the efficacy of the cooperative and competitive federalism approach to development, he said. "Sharing SDG acceleration actions and successes will be incomplete without discussing SDG localisation in India. Fostering sub-national peer-learning and competitiveness is the approach we took when we released the world's first government-led sub-national SDG Index in 2018," he said. Kant said the SDG India Index and Dashboard, which annually ranks Indian States based on their SDG performance, has reshaped the SDG framework adoption and localisation discourse in the country. It has resulted in sub-national entities instituting monitoring systems and preparing development strategies aligned to the goals of the 2030 Agenda, which are customised to the local and hyper-local context.

India set to make PDS location independent: NITI Aayog CEO at UN forum

North Korea and the United States clashed at a UN forum on Tuesday over their military intentions towards one another, with Pyongyang&rsquo;s envoy declaring it would &ldquo;never&rdquo; put its nuclear deterrent on the negotiating table.

Japan, well within reach of North Korea&rsquo;s missiles, said the world must maintain pressure on the reclusive country to rein in its nuclear and missile programs and now was not the time for a resumption of multi-party talks.

North Korea has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and ignored all calls, including from major ally China, to stop, prompting a bellicose exchange of rhetoric between the North and the United States.

North Korea justifies its weapons programs, including its recent threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, by pointing to perceived US hostility, such as military exercises with South Korea this week.

US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood told a UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s top priority was to protect the United States and its allies against the &ldquo;growing threat&rdquo; from North Korea and America was ready to use &ldquo;the full range of capabilities&rdquo; at its disposal.

The &ldquo;path to dialogue still remained an option&rdquo; for Pyongyang and it had the choice between poverty and belligerence on the one hand and prosperity and acceptance.

North Korea&rsquo;s envoy told the same forum the North&rsquo;s nuclear deterrent would never be up for negotiation, echoing Pyongyang&rsquo;s regular denunciation of US &ldquo;aggression&rdquo;.

&ldquo;The measures taken by the DPRK to strengthen its nuclear deterrence and develop inter-continental rockets is justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defense in the face of such apparent and real threats,&rdquo; diplomat Ju Yong Chol told the forum, referring to &ldquo;constant nuclear threats&rdquo; by the United States.

DPRK stands for the North&rsquo;s official name, the Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea.

Regarding joint US-South Korean military exercises that began on Monday, he warned: &ldquo;The ongoing military adventure would certainly add gasoline to the fire, driving the current tense situation to further deterioration.&rdquo;

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said pressure must be maintained until the North demonstrated it would give up its nuclear program.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the time to discuss (the resumption of) six-party talks,&rdquo; Kono said, referring to stalled negotiations involving both Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time to exert pressure,&rdquo; he told reporters.

&#39;Crazy&#39; to share timeline

The head of the US military&rsquo;s Pacific Command said diplomacy was key.

Admiral Harry Harris was in South Korea to observe annual joint military drills with the South Korean military, which the North called a step towards nuclear conflict masterminded by &ldquo;war maniacs&rdquo;.

&ldquo;So we hope and we work for diplomatic solutions to the challenge presented by Kim Jong Un,&rdquo; Harris told reporters at a US air base in Osan, about an hour from Seoul, referring to the North Korean leader.

He said diplomacy was &ldquo;the most important starting point&rdquo; in response to the North&rsquo;s threat, when asked what actions by North Korea might trigger a preemptive US strike against it.

&ldquo;As far as a timeline, it would be crazy for me to share with you those tripwires in advance. If we did that, it would hardly be a military strategy,&rdquo; he said.

The United States and South Korea began the long-planned exercises on Monday, called the Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which the allies have said are purely defensive.

The drills involve tens of thousands of troops as well as computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea.

The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with the North because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Delegations from about 20 countries spoke at the four-hour UN session, including Britain, France, Australia and South Korea, all of which criticized North Korea.

&ldquo;I would like to repeat the appeal to the DPRK to listen to the fact that there is no alternative to stopping the different provocations and to return to dialogue,&rdquo; South Korean ambassador Kim Inchul said.

&ldquo;We have never threatened the DPRK with any attacks and we have never promoted the use of force.&rdquo;

North Korea has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and ignored all calls

North Korea and the United States clashed at a UN forum on Tuesday over their military intentions towards one another, with Pyongyang’s envoy declaring it would “never” put its nuclear deterrent on the negotiating table. Japan, well within reach of North Korea’s missiles, said the world must maintain pressure on the reclusive country to rein in its nuclear and missile programs and now was not the time for a resumption of multi-party talks. North Korea has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions and ignored all calls, including from major ally China, to stop, prompting a bellicose exchange of rhetoric between the North and the United States. North Korea justifies its weapons programs, including its recent threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, by pointing to perceived US hostility, such as military exercises with South Korea this week. US disarmament ambassador Robert Wood told a UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva US President Donald Trump’s top priority was to protect the United States and its allies against the “growing threat” from North Korea and America was ready to use “the full range of capabilities” at its disposal. The “path to dialogue still remained an option” for Pyongyang and it had the choice between poverty and belligerence on the one hand and prosperity and acceptance. North Korea’s envoy told the same forum the North’s nuclear deterrent would never be up for negotiation, echoing Pyongyang’s regular denunciation of US “aggression”. “The measures taken by the DPRK to strengthen its nuclear deterrence and develop inter-continental rockets is justifiable and a legitimate option for self-defense in the face of such apparent and real threats,” diplomat Ju Yong Chol told the forum, referring to “constant nuclear threats” by the United States. DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Regarding joint US-South Korean military exercises that began on Monday, he warned: “The ongoing military adventure would certainly add gasoline to the fire, driving the current tense situation to further deterioration.” Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said pressure must be maintained until the North demonstrated it would give up its nuclear program. “It’s not the time to discuss (the resumption of) six-party talks,” Kono said, referring to stalled negotiations involving both Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan. “It’s time to exert pressure,” he told reporters. 'Crazy' to share timeline The head of the US military’s Pacific Command said diplomacy was key. Admiral Harry Harris was in South Korea to observe annual joint military drills with the South Korean military, which the North called a step towards nuclear conflict masterminded by “war maniacs”. “So we hope and we work for diplomatic solutions to the challenge presented by Kim Jong Un,” Harris told reporters at a US air base in Osan, about an hour from Seoul, referring to the North Korean leader. He said diplomacy was “the most important starting point” in response to the North’s threat, when asked what actions by North Korea might trigger a preemptive US strike against it. “As far as a timeline, it would be crazy for me to share with you those tripwires in advance. If we did that, it would hardly be a military strategy,” he said. The United States and South Korea began the long-planned exercises on Monday, called the Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which the allies have said are purely defensive. The drills involve tens of thousands of troops as well as computer simulations designed to prepare for war with a nuclear-capable North Korea. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with the North because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. Delegations from about 20 countries spoke at the four-hour UN session, including Britain, France, Australia and South Korea, all of which criticized North Korea. “I would like to repeat the appeal to the DPRK to listen to the fact that there is no alternative to stopping the different provocations and to return to dialogue,” South Korean ambassador Kim Inchul said. “We have never threatened the DPRK with any attacks and we have never promoted the use of force.”

US, North Korea clash at UN forum over nuclear weapons

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India set to make PDS location independent: NITI Aayog CEO at UN forum

US, North Korea clash at UN forum over nuclear weapons