Himachal, Kerala and T.N. top development index-Aim is to instil competition among States to improve performance: NITI Aayog

• Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu have been ranked highest in terms of being on track to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), according to a first-of-its-kind index released by NITI Aayog.
• The index comprises a composite score for each State and Union Territory based on their aggregate performance across 13 of the 17 SDGs.
• The score, ranging between 0 and 100, denotes the average performance of the State/UT towards achieving the 13 SDGs and their respective targets.
• The average Indian score was 57.
• The SDG Index Score for Sustainable Development Goals 2030 ranges between 42 and 69 for States and between 57 and 68 for UTs, the report said.

         Purpose

• The aim of the index is to instill competition among States to improve their performance across social indices as the States’ progress will determine India’s progress towards achieving the set goals by 2030.
• Using the index, States will be monitored on a real-time basis.

         Front Runners

• Among the States, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are the front runners, with an SDG India Index score of 69.
• Among the UTs, Chandigarh is the front runner with a score of 68.

The Hindu