Himachal, Kerala and T.N. top development index

Himachal, Kerala and T.N. top development index

News:

The NITI Aayog released the Baseline Report of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index

Facts:

• NITI Aayog came out with a first of its kind baseline index of Indian states’ performance on various UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which found the states of Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Pondicherry, are among the front-runners.
• The SDG India Index, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations in India.
• The states currently at the bottom of the ladder are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam

About Index

• The index comprises a composite score for each State and Union Territory based on their aggregate performance across 13 of the 17 SDGs.
• The score, ranging between 0 and 100, denotes the average performance of the State/UT towards achieving the 13 SDGs and their respective targets.
• The SDG Index Score for Sustainable Development Goals 2030 ranges between 42 and 69 for States and between 57 and 68 for UTs
• The states would be ranked on the basis of their performance on each of these SDGs, barring four goals such as Climate Action, for which the state-wise break-up of data is not currently available. Some of the prominent SDGs are No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Good Health and Well-being

Objective of the Index:

• The aim of the index is to instill competition among States to improve their performance across social indices as the States’ progress will determine India’s progress towards achieving the set goals by 2030,

State-wise Evaluation:

• Kerala’s top rank is attributed to its superior performance in providing good health, reducing hunger, achieving gender equality and providing quality education
• Himachal Pradesh ranks high on providing clean water and sanitation, in reducing inequalities and preserving the mountain ecosystem.”
• Among the UTs, Chandigarh takes the lead because of its exemplary performance in providing clean water and sanitation to its people,
• Overall, the average score for the States was the worst when it came to gender equality (36), in creating sustainable cities and communities (39), in enabling industry, innovation, and infrastructure (44), and in eradicating hunger (48).