Uttarakhand and Kerala: Leaders in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24

Uttarakhand and Kerala have ranked as top performing states in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, while Bihar scored the lowest. India's overall SDG score improved to 71, driven by progress in social, economic, and environmental goals. The index also highlights significant government interventions contributing to these improvements.

Uttarakhand and Kerala have emerged as top performers in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, which evaluates states and union territories on various social, economic, and environmental parameters. Conversely, Bihar was named the worst performer.

India's overall SDG score rose to 71 this year, up from 66 in 2020-21, thanks to advances in poverty elimination, decent work provision, economic growth, climate action, and land sustainability. Uttarakhand and Kerala scored 79, followed by Tamil Nadu with 78 and Goa with 77. Bihar (57), Jharkhand (62), and Nagaland (63) were the lowest scorers.

Among union territories, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Delhi were the top five performers. Significant government interventions, such as the PM Awas Yojana and PM Ujjwala Yojana, have been instrumental in India's progress, according to NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam. The index underscores the impact of programmatic interventions and has become the key tool for tracking national progress on SDGs.

(With inputs from agencies.)