NITI Aayog Releases 4th SDG India Index: Kerala and Uttarakhand Share Top Spot

Tags: INDEX

On 12th July 2024, NITI Aayog released the 4th edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and dashboard for 2023-24 in New Delhi.

An Overview of the News

• India's overall SDG score improved from 66 points in 2020-21 to 71 points in 2023-24, due to progress in poverty reduction, economic growth, climate action, and life on land.

• Kerala retained its top ranking among states for the 4th consecutive time, sharing the top spot with Uttarakhand, both scoring 79 points.

Lowest Performing States

• Bihar was the worst-performing state with a score of 57 points, followed by Jharkhand (62) and Nagaland (63).

Top Performing Union Territories

• Among Union Territories (UTs), the top performers were:

  • Chandigarh (77)

  • Jammu & Kashmir (74)

  • Puducherry (74)

  • Andaman & Nicobar Islands (70)

  • Delhi (70)

SDG India Index Dashboard

• The SDG India Index 2023-24 is available on an online dashboard with user-friendly visualizations for identifying development gaps at national and subnational levels.

Launch Event

• The index was launched by Suman Bery, Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog, with key attendees including:

  • B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog

  • Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator in India

  • Dr. Yogesh Suri, Senior Advisor, NITI Aayog

  • Isabelle Tschan Harada, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP

Index Details 2023- 24

• The index measured and monitored the progress of all states and UTs on 113 indicators aligned with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's (MOSPI) National Indicator Framework (NIF).

• Scores for each state and UT on the 16 SDGs ranged from 0-100, with 100 indicating achievement of the 2030 targets.

• Score categories: Aspirant (0-49), Performer (50-64), Front-Runner (65-99), Achiever (100).

• SDG goal 14 was excluded from the composite score as it is limited to the 9 coastal states.

• India's overall score was below 50 on all 16 goals except for Goal 5 (gender equality).

• The SDG India Index was developed in collaboration with MOSPI, the United Nations, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

SDG India Index 2023-24

• Top 5 Performers:

  • Kerala and Uttarakhand (79 points)

  • Tamil Nadu (78 points)

  • Goa and Himachal Pradesh (77 points)

  • Punjab and Sikkim (76 points)

  • Karnataka (75 points)

• Bottom 5 Performers:

  • Bihar (57 points)

  • Jharkhand (62 points)

  • Nagaland and Meghalaya (63 points each)

  • Arunachal Pradesh and Assam (65 points each)

  • Odisha (66 points)