Kerala has clinched the top spot for the fourth consecutive time on the NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Index, sharing the accolade with Uttarakhand in the latest 2023-24 rankings.
This index evaluates states and Union territories across crucial sectors such as education, health, sanitation, employment, infrastructure, energy, and environment, benchmarking their progress against time-bound targets set for each goal. Both Kerala and Uttarakhand achieved an impressive score of 79 out of 100, reflecting their advancements in achieving the SDGs. Chandigarh retained its position as the leading Union Territory with a commendable score of 77. Bihar once again found itself at the bottom of the state rankings with a score of 57, followed closely by Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
India as a whole witnessed significant progress, with its overall SDG score rising to 71 in 2023-24, up from 66 in 2020-21. This improvement underscores the nation’s strides in poverty eradication, economic growth, climate action, and biodiversity conservation. According to NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, targeted governmental interventions have played a pivotal role in these advancements, positioning India ahead of schedule in achieving many SDG targets by 2030. Notably, goal 13 (climate action) and goal 1 (no poverty) have shown remarkable improvements, with scores climbing from 54 to 67 and 60 to 72, respectively. This progress reflects the efficacy of targeted governmental schemes and initiatives in enhancing the quality of life for citizens across the nation.
Among the 16 SDG goals, India’s lowest score remains on ‘Goal 5’ (gender equality), highlighting an area that requires focused attention and intervention. The latest edition of the SDG India Index tracked progress across all states and Union territories based on 113 indicators, showcasing Uttar Pradesh as the fastest mover with a score increase of 25 points since 2018, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim. The SDG India Index, introduced in December 2018, has become a pivotal tool for monitoring national progress towards sustainable development goals, fostering healthy competition among states and union territories to achieve global benchmarks.
