Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and
Tamil Nadu have emerged as the front runners in the race to achieve key
sustainable development goals (SDG) like removal of poverty and inequality,
while Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the laggards in a ranking of states
released by federal policy think tank NITI Aayog and the UN.
According to the SDG India
Index, the nation as a whole has a score of 58,
showing the country has reached a little beyond the halfway mark in meeting the
sustainable development goals adopted by India and 192 other nations in
2015. The index covers 13 of the 17 sustainable development goals, including
healthcare, gender equality, clean energy, infrastructure, education, peace and
building strong, accountable institutions.
Four goals, including
climate action and sustainable use of marine resources, were left out because
of lack of data at the state level.
Kerala’s overall top rank
(69) is attributed to its strong performance in providing good health, reducing
hunger, achieving gender equality and providing quality education. The rank
shows the distance each state has to cover to reach 100—the point at which it
fully meets the sustainable development goal.
Himachal Pradesh ranks high
with a similar overall score in providing clean water and sanitation, reducing
inequalities and preserving the mountain ecosystem. Tamil Nadu has a score of
68. Among Union territories, Chandigarh takes the lead with a score of 68 on
account of its track record in providing clean water and sanitation.
Performance in providing quality education has also helped Chandigarh achieve the
high score.
Tamil Nadu
topped the states in poverty reduction, while Kerala topped in providing
quality education, closely followed by Chandigarh and Himachal
Pradesh. Kerala and Tamil Nadu also topped in
facilitating good health and well-being. Gender equality, however, is an
area all states and the nation as a whole need to improve upon. The toppers in
gender equality, Sikkim and Union territories Andaman and Nicobar islands and
Chandigarh have crossed the half way mark in reaching the goals. Jharkhand,
Odisha and Nagaland are also among the states that have a lot more ground to
cover in the overall rankings.
The scores represent the
current status of achievement in meeting the goals. NITI Aayog chief executive
officer Amitabh Kant said that the index, which is also available for reference
in the form of an online dashboard, will be updated in realtime.
NITI Aayog vice chairman
Rajiv Kumar urged the fifteenth finance commission (FFC) member Ramesh Chand,
who was present on the occasion, to use the index as a tool while finalizing
its recommendations on sharing of central government’s divisible pool of tax
revenue with states.
