Almost immediately after the UN Secretary-General called for a Decade of Action to deliver Sustainable Development Goals at the SDG Summit of 2019, the world faced massive COVID-19 induced disruptions at the cost to the global economy. To accelerate progress in the SDGs, the decade of 2020-2030 requires research, innovations, and commitments of various stakeholders at all levels – locally, nationally, and globally. This book contributes to the action agenda by focusing on India’s opportunities and challenges, emphasizing India’s northeast. Many countries have taken significant actions toward realizing the SDG mission and vision. However, due to a lack of knowledge, research, and innovation, there is a considerable disparity in the countries’ actions. Few developed countries have made significant progress in realizing the SDGs, while many developing countries struggle. This book brings together diverse views on various domains of SDGs, providing a sub-national framework for addressing the gaps and meeting the goals.
About the author
Dr. Rajshree Bedamatta is a Professor of Economics at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and an Adjunct Faculty at the Centre for Disaster Management and Research in Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. She is trained in the field of Development Economics, and her research interests cut across the applied areas of food and agriculture, health, labor markets, education, and governance. One of her emerging engagements is action research in disruptions caused by disasters and its socio-economic impact on vulnerable groups of population.
Dr. Boeing Laishram is a Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. He has been closely associated with implementation and planning of infrastructure projects from different perspectives, such as financing, project management and sustainability. He has also been associated with financing and management of some of the milestone infrastructure projects in India as part of his corporate engagement prior to joining IITG. His research interests include, inter alia, PPPs for infrastructure development, application of IT in construction industry, project finance in oil and gas sector, sustainability of megaprojects.
Dr. Sparsh Johari is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati. He has earned his Ph.D. degree in construction management from IIT Delhi. He has expertise in project management, capacity building, human resource management, smart and sustainable construction, digitalization in construction, project evaluation and performance appraisal. He has worked with various government and non-government clients, such as DMRC, Ratle Hydroelectric power project, and NHAI. He has guided master-level students in the area of sustainable building projects, green infrastructure, and retrofitting of buildings.