Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2023 - 24
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Reason for discussion
Recently, NITI Aayog released the fourth edition of the SDG India Index 2023 - 24, the country's main tool for monitoring progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Progress in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Since 2018, NITI Aayog has developed the SDG India Index to monitor India's progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The index helps states incorporate these goals into their development plans and provides a benchmark for policymakers to identify gaps and prioritize actions to achieve sustainable development by 2030.
It assesses the performance of states and Union Territories (UTs) in 16 SDGs using 113 indicators aligned with national priorities.
Overall progress
Increase in SDG score
India's SDG score has increased to 71 in 2023-24 from 66 in 2020-21 and 57 in 2018.
State-level reform
All states improved their overall scores, attributed to government initiatives targeted at poverty reduction, economic development, and climate action.
Significant progress in key goals
Significant progress has been seen in SDG targets 1 (poverty eradication), 8 (decent work and economic development), and 13 (climate action).
-Top performers
Kerala and Uttarakhand emerged as the top states, both scoring 79 points.
-The lowest performer
Bihar stood second with 57 points, while Jharkhand stood third with 62 points.
Challenges in achieving sustainable development goals
-Economic development between poverty and inequality
Despite experiencing economic growth, a large portion of India's population lives in poverty and faces significant inequality.
The World Inequality Report 2022 highlights that India is one of the most unequal countries globally, with the top 10% and top 1% of the population holding 57% and 22% of the total national income, respectively.
-Malnutrition and starvation
Malnutrition and hunger remain serious issues in India. National Family Health Survey 5 shows that 25% of men and 57% of women (age 15-49 years) suffer from anemia, and 67.1% of children (age 6-59 months) suffer from anemia.
India has been given a score of 28.7 in the Global Hunger Index 2023, placing it in the severe category on the GHI hunger scale.
- Challenges of health infrastructure
Ensuring universal health coverage and improving health service infrastructure are constant challenges.
According to the National Health Profile 2021, India has only 0.6 hospital beds per 1,000 population, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends five hospital beds per 1,000 people.
- Education quality and retention rate
While school enrollment rates have improved, education quality and retention rates still need attention.
The 2011 census of India reported an average literacy rate of 73% and the National Statistics Commission survey reported a literacy rate of 77.7% for 2017–18. Disparities in literacy between rural and urban areas and between genders are evident.
-Employment and unemployment
Creating enough quality jobs for a growing workforce remains a challenge. However, the Economic Survey 2023-24 observed a downward trend in the annual unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above since the COVID-19 pandemic. The youth unemployment rate has come down from 17.8% in 2017-18 to 10% in 2022-23.
Government intervention
Some of the interventions made by the government to achieve the goal of inclusive development and sustainable development are as follows -
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: More than 4 crore houses have been built.
- Swachh Bharat Mission: 2.23 lakh community sanitation complexes and 11 crore toilets have been constructed.
-Ujjwala Yojana: 10 crore LPG connections have been provided.
-Ayushman Bharat - PMJAY: More than 30 crore beneficiaries have been identified and linked to this scheme.
-Renewable energy: Solar energy capacity has increased from 2.82 GW to 73.32 GW in the last decade.
Next step
Poverty and inequality
Implement targeted social safety nets such as MGNREGA and direct cash transfers while expanding skill development programs to increase employability.
Promote inclusive economic development by supporting MSMEs and rural entrepreneurship and implement reforms to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
Access to health services
Improve primary health care by increasing the number of centers and availability of essential medicines and expanding Ayushman Bharat coverage. Promote public-private partnerships for rural health services and leverage digital health technologies to increase access and manage diseases more effectively.
Quality of education
Improve teacher training programs and school infrastructure and expand access to early childhood education. Integrate digital devices into classrooms and ensure inclusive education for marginalized and disabled children.
