SDG India Index 2020-21: Kerala Retains Top Spot; Bihar, Jharkhand Are Worst Performers

New Delhi: In its third edition of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) released by Niti Aayog on Thursday, Kerala hold the top position in Niti Aayog’s SDG India Index 2020-21, while Bihar has been emerged as the worst performer, according to a report released on Thursday.

The Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters.

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Kerala managed to retain the rank as the top state with a score of 75. Both Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu became second with a score of 74. Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam were the worst-performing states in this year’s India index. Among the union territories, Chandigarh was at the top the with a score of 79, followed by Delhi (68).

Mizoram, Haryana, and Uttarakhand remained the top gainers in 2020-21 in terms of improvement in score from 2019, with an increase of 12, 10 and 8 points, respectively. While in 2019, 10 states/UTs belonged to the category of front-runners (score in the range 65-99, including both), 12 more states/UTs find themselves in this category in 2020-21.

Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Punjab, Haryana, Tripura, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh graduated to the category of front-runners (scores between 65 and 99, including both).

The country’s overall SDG score improved by 6 points – from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21. This positive streak in achieving the targets have been possible because of exemplary country-wide performance in goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and goal 7 (affordable and clean energy), where the composite goal scores are 83 and 92, respectively.

”Our effort of monitoring SDGs through the SDG India Index and Dashboard continues to be widely noticed and applauded around the world. It remains a rare data-driven initiative to rank our states and union territories by computing a composite index on the SDGs,” said Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said, ”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.”

On the theme of partnerships which is central to goal 17, Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul said, ”It is clear that by working together we can build a more resilient and sustainable future, where no one is left behind.”

(With inputs from PTI)