SDG India Index by NITI Aayog

Why in News

NITI Aayog has released the second edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index (SDG Index 2.0).

  • The index documents the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories towards achieving the 2030 SDG targets.
  • The Index spans 16 out of 17 SDGs which marks an improvement over the 2018 Index, which covered only 13 goals.
  • The SDG India Index has been developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the United Nations, and the Global Green Growth Institute.
  • The year 2020 will be the 5th anniversary of the adoption of SDGs by 193 countries at the UN General Assembly.

Key Points

Methodology Followed

  • A composite score for SDG Index (2019) was computed in the range of 0–100 for each State/UT based on its aggregate performance across 16 SDGs.
    • The higher the score of a State/UT, the closer it is towards achieving the 2030 national targets.
  • States /UTs are classified based on the SDG India Index Score as follows:
    • Aspirant: 0–49
    • Performer: 50–64
    • Front Runner: 65–99
    • Achiever: 100

National Analysis

  • India's composite score improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019-20 with major success in water and sanitation, power and industry.
    • However, nutrition and gender equality continue to be problem areas for India, requiring a more focused approach from the government
  • The ranks of 14 states have dropped in the index compared to 2018.
  • All states and union territories except for Delhi have scored above 65.

State/UT Wise Analysis

  • States:
    • Kerala has the top rank with a score of 70 followed by Himachal Pradesh with 69 points. Further, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana shared the third spot with each state scoring 67 on the Index.
    • Bihar has emerged as the worst performer with the lowest score of 50. Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh are also some of the worst-performing states on the index.
    • Uttar Pradesh has shown maximum improvement followed by Odisha and Sikkim.
  • Union Territories:
    • Chandigarh has topped the list with the score of 70 followed by Puducherry with 66.

Source: TH