June 7, 2021
India’s overall score across SDGs improved by 6 points; from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21.
There has been nation-wide improvement in ‘clean water and sanitation’ and ‘affordable and clean energy’.
Kerala achieved the highest overall score in the Index followed by Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
The third edition of the Index highlighted the significance of partnerships in achieving the larger 2030 Agenda.
India has made steady progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas of health, energy, and infrastructure, as per the latest NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index which shows the strides taken by the country in social, economic, and environmental development over the past year. Since 2019, India’s overall score across SDGs has gone up from 60 to 66 in 2021 due to nation-wide improvement in ‘clean water and sanitation’ and ‘affordable and clean energy’ respectively, according to an official NITI Aayog release.
While Mizoram, Haryana, and Uttarakhand are the top gainers in 2020–21in terms of improvement in score from 2019, Kerala achieved the highest overall score in the Index with its efforts to tackle hunger (Goal 2) and to provide quality education to students (Goal 4), closely followed by Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Significantly, the total number of States in the Front Runner category has risen from 10 in 2019 to 22 in the current Index.
In 2015, the United Nations established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with 17 identified SDGs to help UN member states achieve inclusive, people-centred and holistic development together. The NITI Aayog launched the first edition of its index in 2018 to monitor the country’s progress on the goals through data-driven assessment, and to encourage the States and Union Territories in achieving them.
With one-third of the journey towards achieving the 2030 Agenda already over, the latest edition of the SDG India Index focuses on the role and significance of partnerships in this initiative. “The report reflects on the partnerships we have built and strengthened during our SDG efforts. The narrative throws light on how collaborative initiatives can result in better outcomes and greater impacts”, explains NITI Aayog CEO, Shri Amitabh Kant on how working together will ensure success over the next decade.