In the latest NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, Uttarakhand and Kerala have been recognised as the leading states, excelling in social, economic, and environmental progress. Bihar, on the other hand, has been identified as the lowest performer.

India's overall Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) score has seen a notable increase, reaching 71 in 2023-24, up from 66 in 2020-21. This improvement is attributed to significant strides in areas such as poverty elimination, decent work, economic growth, climate action, and life on land.

Uttarakhand and Kerala have both achieved a score of 79, making them the joint top performers among the states. They are closely followed by Tamil Nadu with a score of 78 and Goa at 77. Conversely, Bihar (57), Jharkhand (62), and Nagaland (63) have been ranked as the worst-performing states in this year's index.

"Targetted intervention by the government has helped India achieve significant improvements across 16 goals set under the SDGs," NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said after releasing the report.

"India has made substantial progress across 16 of the SDG goals," Subrahmanyam stated during the report release. He further emphasised that India is not only on track but also ahead in achieving many of the SDG targets, with expectations to meet some goals well before the 2030 deadline.

Despite the overall progress, the index reveals that India’s score remains below 50 on 'Goal 5' (gender equality), indicating the need for continued focus in this area.

Image source: Financial Express