The Directorate of Small Savings, Assam has a key role to play in the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted at the United Nations in September 2015. While small savings schemes are operated through the post offices and banks, the Directorate is the designated authority that promotes the habit of small savings in the State. It also appoints and renews small savings agencies.
In other words, the Directorate indirectly takes the schemes and benefits of small savings to the doorstep of citizens. Most of the citizens availing various small savings schemes are from the poor and marginalised section of the society. These savings are their biggest hope and security for the future wellbeing. Thus the role of popularising small savings and ensuring livelihood and service through small savings agents ensure the implementation of several sustainable development goals. Indirectly it helps in reducing poverty, ensures good health and well-being, boosts quality education, ensures gender equality, provides decent work and economic growth through agencies and helps in reducing inequalities.
Moreover, small savings collection constitutes a major share of resource to execute public welfare, which is named as National Small Savings Fund (NSSF). A chunk of the net small savings collections generally returns back to the state as long term-soft loan by the Government of India. The long repayment schedule makes it an excellent resource of the country for investment in the development of infrastructure like roads, bridges, water supply, medical, educational institutes, etc. NSSF single-handed ensures the implementation of various other goals like, ending poverty and hunger, providing clean water and sanitation, ensuring decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities and building hospitals, schools, industry and infrastructure, etc.
UN Sustainable Development Goal:
The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 aspiration goals with 169 targets, adopted as United Nations Resolution named "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015 at New York, USA.
17 Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water & sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts* Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
