SDG India Index 2020-21: NITI Aayog:
The third edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index and Dashboard 2020–21 was released by NITI Aayog.
- The SDG India Index 2020–21 is developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India.
- The NITI Aayog launched its index in 2018 to monitor the country’s progress on the goals through data-driven assessment, and foster a competitive spirit among the States and Union Territories in achieving them.
- NITI Aayog has the twin mandate to oversee the adoption and monitoring of the SDGs in the country, and also promote competitive and cooperative federalism among States and UTs.
- The index represents the articulation of the comprehensive nature of the Global Goals under the 2030 Agenda while being attuned to the national priorities.
- In 2015, the UNs General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- The 17 SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) started, and tackle some of the more pressing challenges.
- The SDG India Index 2020–21 is also live on an online dashboard, which has cross-sectoral relevance across policy, civil society, business, and academia.
National Analysis:
- The country’s overall SDG score improved by 6 points – from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020–21.
- Currently, there are no states in the aspirant and achiever category; 15 states/UTs are in the performer category and 22 states/UTs in the front runner category.
- India saw significant improvement in the SDGs related to clean energy, urban development and health in 2020.
- However, there has been a major decline in the areas of industry, innovation and infrastructure as well as decent work and economic growth.
State Wise Performance:
- Kerala retained its position at the top of the rankings in the third edition of the index, with a score of 75, followed by Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, both scoring 72.
- At the other end of the scale, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam were the worst performing States.
- However, all States showed some improvement from last year’s scores, with Mizoram and Haryana seeing the biggest gains.
