DIMAPUR: Principal Secretary and Development Commissioner Y. Kikheto Sema, held a coordination meeting with Jaimon Uthup, Policy Specialist, UNDP, officials of the SDG Cell and Planning Department at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat on August 14, 2026 to review the State’s performance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and identify corrective measures.
The meeting was held in the context of the ongoing formulation of the Viksit Nagaland 2047 vision framework and to examine reasons behind Nagaland’s low ranking in the SDG assessment, a DIPR report stated.
Kikheto said Nagaland is taking concerted steps to improve its SDG performance through greater departmental coordination and efforts to address gaps in data reporting and development indicators. He pointed out that inadequate awareness among departments about the importance of SDG-related data submission had contributed to poor rankings in the 2024 assessment, with several indicators recorded as “zero” or “unreported.”
He also highlighted challenges in grassroots data collection, noting that Anganwadi workers in some areas previously lacked smartphones and devices for uploading information. Training and capacity-building initiatives are now being undertaken to address these issues.
Kikheto stressed the need to recognise Nagaland’s unique geographical, socio-economic and cultural context while assessing SDG indicators. He explained that agricultural productivity indicators measured in kilograms per hectare do not fully reflect the State’s traditional and shifting cultivation practices, which naturally yield lower outputs compared to intensive commercial farming.
On gender equality, he noted that earlier data had failed to capture women’s active participation in village-level institutions such as Village Development Boards, Education Committees and Water and Sanitation Committees.
Acknowledging genuine development gaps in health, education, road connectivity and financial services, Kikheto referred to NITI Aayog’s July 2025 publication, which ranked Mokokchung, Kohima and Dimapur among the top 10 performing districts in the Northeast, while other districts remained at the lower end.
He expressed optimism that Nagaland’s position would improve in the next SDG assessment as departments are now more aware of timely and accurate data submission. He urged UNDP to adopt a more context-sensitive approach, stating that a “one-size-fits-all” framework may not adequately reflect Nagaland’s realities. Kikheto proposed a joint meeting of the Statistical, Planning and Finance Departments to review the State’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) figures and establish a consistent baseline for measuring growth.
Responding, Jaimon Uthup assured that the concerns raised would be conveyed to the UNDP Country Head and discussed at the appropriate level. He acknowledged the contextual challenges highlighted by the State and said UNDP would continue to extend technical assistance in strengthening SDG implementation and monitoring.
Lead Consultant, UNDP, Sunder Subramanyam presented the draft document on Viksit Nagaland 2047, outlining key areas and proposed frameworks for development. He emphasised the need to incorporate reliable statistical data to ensure accuracy.
The UNDP team expressed confidence that Nagaland is moving in the right direction and said ongoing consultations with departments and stakeholders would strengthen the Viksit Nagaland 2047 roadmap.