New Delhi: Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have topped the list of performing states in NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index 2019, which comprehensively documents the progress made by states and union territories towards achieving the 2030 SDG targets.
According to reports, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha have shown maximum improvement, states like Gujarat have not shown any improvement vis-a-vis 2018 rankings.
Where Uttar Pradesh has improved its score from 42 in 2018 to 55 in 2019, Bihar is the worst-performing states in this year's Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Amongst Union territories, Chandigarh topped the list, while Puducherry is ranked second. Dadra and Nagar Haveli has been ranked third among Union territories
Addressing the media, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar said, "This year none of the states has scored below 50, in fact, many states even scored 100 on some parameters. Although, nutrition and gender equality continue to be a problem in our country and which requires a more focused approach."
UN Resident Coordinator Renata Dessallien said the world is entering final decade for achieving the SDGs -- the Decade for Action.
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that we have 12 years left to save the planet from the worst effects of climate change. So the time to act is now. The SDG India Index 2.0 and the dashboard enables India to both track and encourage accelerated progress to meet the SDGs across all its states and union territories," she said.
India's composite score has improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019, thereby showing noticeable progress. The maximum gains have been made in Goals 6 (clean water and sanitation), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and 7 (affordable and clean energy).
All three states that were in the 'aspirant' category with scores in the range of 0 to 49 -- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam -- have graduated to the 'performer' category (50 to 64). Five states -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa and Sikkim -- moved up from the 'performer' category to the 'front runner' category (65 to 99).
Kerala achieved the first rank in the composite SDG Index with a score of 70 followed by Himachal Pradesh at 69. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu ranked at the third position with the score of 67.
The biggest improvers since 2018 are Uttar Pradesh (which has moved from the 29th position to the 23rd), Orissa (23rd to 15th) and Sikkim (15th to 7th). While Bihar improved its score from 48 in 2018 to 50 in 2019, it still has a long way to go in achieving the targets.
The world is now in the fifth year of the SDG era. "India's National Development Agenda is mirrored in the SDGs. India's progress in the global goals is crucial for the world as the country is home to about one-sixth of the world's population," according to an official statement.
NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the implementation of SDGs in the country, and promote competitive and cooperative federalism among states and union territories.
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