The NITI Aayog released the third edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2020-21. What does the SDG India Index indicate? How is it relevant in policymaking and planning? Learn more in this article. SDG India Index is an important topic for the UPSC current affairs and governance segments.
What is the SDG India Index?
The SDG India Index is developed by the NITI Aayog in collaboration with the United Nations in India.
- The Index tracks the progress of all the states and union territories of the country on 115 indicators that include parameters on health, education, gender, climate change, economic growth, environment, etc.
- The indicators are aligned with the National Indicator Framework (NIF) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The indicators are selected through a consultative process involving the MoSPI, Union Ministries and stakeholders from States and UTs.
- Basically, the Index tracks the progress of the states/UTs towards achieving the UN’s global SDGs.
- It helps in identifying crucial gaps related to tracking the SDGs and the need for India to develop its statistical systems.
- It was first launched in December 2018.
- The SDG India Index has evolved into a major tool for monitoring the progress of the states and UTs on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- By generating ranks for the states and UTs on various development parameters, the Index has fostered healthy competition among them.
- The latest edition was released in 2021 and this is the third edition of the Index.
What are the Key Features of the SDG India Index?
In the first edition, 13 Goals with 62 indicators were covered. In the latest (third) edition, 16 Goals on 115 quantitative indicators are covered.
- The states/UTs are given scores between 0 and 100 based on their performance.
- The composite score of a state/UT is derived by assigning each goal the same weight, keeping in mind the indivisible nature of the 2030 Agenda.
- Based on the composite score, the states/UTs are classified as under:
- Aspirant: 0 – 49
- Performer: 50 – 64
- Front-Runner: 65 – 99
- Achiever: 100
SDG India Index Methodology
Image source: PIB
SDG India Index 2020-21 (Latest Rankings)
The following image gives the top 5 best and worst performing states under SDG India Index 2020-21.
Image source: Indian Express
Other key findings:
- The overall SDG score of India improved by 6 points (66 in the latest rankings up from 2019’s 60).
- The reason for the better rank was an improvement in performance in providing facilities including clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy among others.
- Among states, Kerala was able to sustain its top position from the previous edition.
- Among UTs, Chandigarh maintained its top position with a composite score of 79 while the second place went to Delhi with a score of 68.
- The top gainers are Mizoram, Haryana and Uttarakhand in terms of bettering their ranks from 2019.
- There are no states/UTs in the ‘aspirant’ and ‘achiever’ categories.
Image source: PIB
The following image shows the scores of the states and UTs.
Image source: PIB
SDG India Index 2020-21:- Download PDF Here
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