Takuro works on further strengthening Japan–India partnership.
In a significant step towards strengthening India–Japan development cooperation, NITI Aayog, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed the Record of Discussions (RoD) for the “Project for Promotion of the Program for Japan – India Cooperative Actions Towards Sustainable Development Goals – Phase II”.
The RoD was signed on 2 Mar in presence of Rohit Kumar, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, NITI Aayog and Takeuchi Takuro, Chief Representative, JICA India.
This collaboration reaffirms the strong India–Japan development partnership and advances joint efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in Aspirational Districts (ADs) and Aspirational Blocks (ABs).
Rohit Kumar noted that the partnership brings together institutional strengths, shared knowledge and on-ground experience to accelerate inclusive development in underserved regions.
The project aims to strengthen policy frameworks and implementation systems across six themes—Global Partnership, Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure. It focuses on institutional capacity building, improved monitoring and evaluation and effective localisation of SDGs.
Key activities under this project include people to people and capacity-building exchanges, Japan–India knowledge forums, identification and dissemination of Best Practices and targeted support to Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks.
Noting that India’s district and block-level monitoring systems stand out globally, Takuro emphasized that the project represents a mutually beneficial, cooperative initiative further strengthening the Japan–India partnership.
The signing of the Record of Discussions underscores the deepening India–Japan partnership and reflects a shared commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 through strengthened institutional capacity and evidence-based governance in Aspirational Districts and Blocks, NITI Aayog said on 2 Mar. fiinews.com
