NITI Aayog report shows improved progress on SDGs

NITI Aayog gives India a score of 71 out of 100 on sustainable development goals, compared with 57 in 2018

The government think tank NITI Aayog on Friday released its fourth evaluation report of India’s progress on the 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 by all United Nations member countries, giving India a score of 71 out of 100, as compared to 57 in 2018. “SDGs are directly linked to people’s welfare, well-being and quality of life,” B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, NITI Aayog’s CEO, told presspersons at the report’s launch. 

The SDG on poverty improved due to what Mr. Subrahmanyam said was a reduction in extreme poverty; the one on hunger reduced while work remained to be done on quality nutrition. Health conditions improved, he said, thanks to better public health and insurance coverage. Education was helped by high teacher-student ratios but teacher quality needed targeted interventions, Mr. Subrahmanyam said.

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Income and gender inequality were the SDGs which have seen a drop in the score. “States not doing well have issues like sex ratio at birth,” Mr. Subrahmanyam said. “You have other issues like women owning land, assets, and employment.” The report noted a slight drop from 0.75 last year to 0.73 in the ratio of women’s earnings compared to men. 

Mr. Subrahmanyam termed the progress in the “clean water and sanitation” SDG a “huge success,” something he attributed to the Swachh Bharat Mission and piped water initiatives. On clean and affordable energy, he said that with near complete electrification, “This is not an indicator to worry about.” 

On the peace, justice, and strong institutions SDG, Mr. Subrahmanyam said, “It’s pretty good to begin with, we’re a country with rule of law,” pointing to high Aadhaar enrolment rates. 

The report’s release comes ahead of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to be held under U.N. auspices in New York on July 18.