New Delhi: India has made remarkable progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite facing global challenges. According to a report from NITI Aayog, significant strides have been observed in goals aimed at lifting people out of poverty, creating better job opportunities, fostering economic growth, addressing climate issues and improving land ecosystems.
According to the report, the government's focused initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala, Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan, Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY, Ayushman Arogya Mandir, PM-Mudra Yojana, Saubhgaya and Start-up India have played a pivotal role in driving these positive changes. Moreover, all states have shown progress in their overall scores, indicating collective efforts towards sustainable development across the country.
New Ranking
According to the report, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Tamil Nadu emerged as the top three performing states, while Bihar, Jharkhand and Nagaland were identified as the lowest performers. Among Union Territories, Chandigarh ranked highest, with Ladakh ranking the lowest.
In the latest report, India's overall SDG score for 2023-24 has improved to 71, showing a significant rise from 66 in 2020-21 and 57 back in 2018 (baseline report). The scores for states now range from 57 to 79 for 2023-24, marking a notable improvement compared to the earlier range of 42 to 69 observed in 2018.
Progress has been particularly noteworthy in 'No Poverty', 'Decent Work and Economic Growth' and 'Climate Action and Life on Land'. ‘Climate Action’, recorded the highest increase in score, climbing from 54 in 2020-21 to 67 in 2023-24. Similarly ‘No Poverty’, improved its score from 60 to 72 during the same period.
Status of the States
The SDG India Index 2023-24 highlights a positive shift in the progress of States and Union Territories (UTs) towards achieving their SDG targets. Currently, state scores range from 57 to 79, while UTs score between 65 and 77. This demonstrates improvement compared to the 2020-21 scores where states ranged from 52 to 75 and UTs from 62 to 79. According to the report, between 2018 and 2023-24, the fastest-moving states are Uttar Pradesh (with an increase in score by 25), followed by Jammu & Kashmir (21), Uttarakhand (19), Sikkim (18), Haryana (17), Assam, Tripura, Punjab (16 each), Madhya Pradesh and Odisha (15 each).
Methodology of the Index
The Index methodology involves a series of systematic steps. It starts with gathering raw data for specific indicators and identifying any gaps in the data. Following this, target values are set for 2030 to provide clear benchmarks for measuring progress. The raw data is then adjusted to create scores ranging from 0 to 100. Each SDG's overall score is determined by averaging the normalised scores of its relevant indicators.
What is the SDG India Index?
The SDG India Index 2023-24, which is the fourth edition of India’s primary tool for assessing national and subnational progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was launched on Saturday by NITI Aayog. This index measures and monitors the progress of all States and Union Territories (UTs) using 113 indicators aligned with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework (NIF). It calculates scores for each SDG goal across the 16 SDGs for every state and UT. Composite scores, representing the overall performance of each sub-national unit, are derived from these goal-specific scores. These scores range from 0 to 100, where achieving a score of 100 indicates that the State/UT has met all targets. A higher score indicates greater progress towards achieving the SDGs.
Role of NITI
NITI Aayog plays a crucial role in overseeing the implementation and monitoring of SDGs at both national and sub-national levels. The achievements highlighted in the index are not only significant domestically, but also carry valuable lessons for other countries aiming to accelerate their own SDG progress. India's focused interventions and initiatives have led to profound transformations, making them insightful models for the global community.
Key Achievements:
No Poverty: Improved by 12 points since 2020-21. Multidimensional poverty decreased by nearly half from 24.8% to 14.96% between 2015-16 and 2019-21. In 2023–2024, almost all individuals seeking employment under MGNREGA were able to find job opportunities.
Zero Hunger: 99.01% of beneficiaries are covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
Good Health and Well-being: Overall score significantly improved from 52 in 2018 to 77 in 2023-24. Maternal Mortality Rate per 1,00,000 live births stands at 97. 93.23% of children aged 9-11 months are fully immunised.
Quality Education: Adjusted Net Enrolment Rate (ANER) for elementary education is 96.5% for 2021-22, up from 87.26% in 2018-19, with 14 States and UTs achieving 100% ANER. 88.65% of schools have access to both electricity and drinking water. Gender parity is achieved in Higher Education (18-23 years).
Gender Equality: Significant improvement in score from 63 in 2018 to 89 in 2023-24. 99.29% of rural households have improved their source of drinking water. 94.7% of schools have functional toilets for girls.
Decent Work and Economic Growth: India’s GDP per capita at constant prices grew by 5.88% annually in 2022–2023. The unemployment rate (15-59 years) decreased from 6.2% in 2018-19 to 3.40% in 2022-23.
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Improved score from 41 in 2018 to 61 in 2023-24. 99.70% of all targeted habitations are now connected with all-weather roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, up from 47.38% in 2017-18. 93.3% of households own at least one mobile phone. 95.08% of villages have 3G/4G mobile internet coverage.
Sustainable Cities and Communities: Significant improvement in score from 39 in 2018 to 83 in 2023-24. Installed sewage treatment capacity as a percentage of sewage generated in urban areas increased from 38.86% in 2018 to 51% in 2020-21. The percentage of municipal solid waste processed rose from 68% in 2020 to 78.46% in 2024. 97% of wards have 100% door-to-door waste collection.
Climate Action: Noteworthy improvement of 13 points in the overall composite score of Goal 13 from 54 (Performer category) in SDG India Index 3 (2020-21) to 67 (Front Runner category) in SDG India Index 4 (2023-24). The disaster preparedness score as per the Disaster Resilience Index stands at 19.20. The share of electricity generation from renewable energy increased from 36.37% in 2020 to 43.28% in 2024. 94.86% of industries comply with environmental standards.
Life on Land: The score increased from 66 in Index 3 (2020-21) to 75 in Index 4 (2023-24). The number of States/UTs in the Front Runner category increased from 17 in 2020-21 to 32 in 2023-24. According to the India State of Forest Report 2021, nearly 25% of the geographical area is covered by forests and tree cover. There has also been a 1.11% increase in carbon stock in forest cover as per the India State of Forest Report 2021.
Read more: Opinion: India's Saga of Development: Declining Poverty or Rising Economic Inequality?
