Kerala tops Niti Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals Index 2020-21 again, Bihar worst performer

The index evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters

Kerala retained its top position followed by Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka came third in the Niti Aayog’s sustainable development goal’s index, which evaluates the progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental criteria.

The other top states were Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand

According to the Index, Bihar was the worst performing state, while Jharkhand came second from the bottom. The other three bottom five states included Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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As the Index was prepared on the basis of 16 identified goals, including social, environmental and economic parameters, different states did well on different counts.

Tamil Nadu and Delhi were adjudged the best in dealing with issues related to poverty alleviation. Similarly, Kerala and Chandigarh did well to ensure zero hunger indices. Chhattisgarh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands did well in ensuring gender equality.

Again, Delhi along with Gujarat topped the list in terms of having good infrastructure. In terms of peace and justice, Uttarakhand and Puducherry were found to be the best.

Among the union territories, Chandigarh topped the chart, followed by Delhi, Puducherry and Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

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,” Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said.

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.”