Kerala, Uttarakhand Achieve Top Rank in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24; Bihar Lags

Uttarakhand and Kerala have been recognised as the top-performing states in the NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24. This index assesses the progress of states and union territories on social, economic, and environmental parameters. Conversely, Bihar has been identified as the worst performer.

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India's overall Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) score rose to 71 in 2023-24 from 66 in 2020-21. This improvement is attributed to significant strides in eliminating poverty, providing decent work, fostering economic growth, climate action, and life on land.

Top Performers and Lagging States

Among the states, Uttarakhand and Kerala achieved a joint top score of 79. Tamil Nadu followed closely with a score of 78, while Goa scored 77. On the other hand, Bihar scored 57, Jharkhand 62, and Nagaland 63, making them the lowest performers in this year's index.

In the union territories category, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Delhi emerged as the top five performers. The report highlighted that all states have shown an improvement in their overall scores.

Government Interventions Driving Progress

NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam noted that targeted government interventions have significantly improved India's performance across 16 SDG goals. He stated, "India is not only on track but ahead of others in achieving most of the targets under SDGs." The government aims to meet these targets before 2030 for several goals.

The report also mentioned that between 2018 and 2023-24, Uttar Pradesh was the fastest-moving state with a score increase of 25 points. Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim also showed notable improvements.

Significant Improvements in Specific Goals

The fourth edition of the SDG India Index tracked national progress across all states and UTs using 113 indicators. Among the various goals, Goal 13 (climate action) saw substantial improvement with its score rising from 54 to 67. Goal 1 (no poverty) also showed significant progress with its score increasing from 60 to 72.

The report emphasised that these improvements underscore the impact of focused programmatic interventions and schemes by both Union and state governments aimed at enhancing citizens' lives.

Key Government Initiatives

This year’s report highlighted key government initiatives that contributed to India's improved SDG scores. These include constructing over four crore houses under PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), building eleven crore toilets and 2.23 lakh community sanitary complexes in rural areas, providing ten crore LPG connections under PM Ujjwala Yojana, and ensuring tap water connections in over fourteen crore households under Jal Jeevan Mission.

Additionally, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana benefitted over thirty crore people. Eighty crore people were supported under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and direct benefit transfers amounting to Rs 34 lakh crore were made through PM-Jan Dhan accounts.

Role of SDG India Index

First launched in December 2018, the SDG India Index has become a primary tool for monitoring progress on SDGs within the country. Developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India, it measures progress at both national and sub-national levels towards meeting global goals and targets.

The index has also fostered competition among states and union territories by ranking them on these global goals. It has been effective as an advocacy tool to promote sustainability messages, resilience, and partnerships.

This year’s report shows that thirty-two states/UTs scored between 65 and 99 compared to twenty-two in the previous edition (2020-21). The index indicates that India's overall score is below fifty only for Goal 5 (gender equality).

The SDGs consist of seventeen goals with one hundred sixty-nine related targets to be achieved by 2030. The index reflects India's journey towards these targets through a consultative process involving multiple stakeholders.