24 January 2019
India Index Report Provides Baseline for Performance across SDGs
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A baseline report and SDG index launched by the UN System in India and the Government of India examines the country’s social, environmental and economic status, also tracking progress made at the state and union territory level.

The index uses 62 priority indicators on 13 of the 17 SDGs to derive scores on a scale of 0-100.

The index is accompanied by a dashboard that visualizes states’ and UTs’ performance, both in the aggregate and against specific SDGs.

22 December 2018: A report released by the UN and Government of India examines SDG progress made by the country, its states and Union Territories (UTs). The index report titled, ‘SDG India Index: Baseline Report 2018,’ reviews opportunities to accelerate progress in India, as well as to strengthen the country’s data collection and analysis capacities.

Prepared by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)—the institution mandated to oversee India’s progress towards the 2030 Agenda—the SDG India Index provides a holistic view of the country’s social, environmental and economic status, also tracking progress made at the state and UT level. Key aims of the Index are to: identify indicators that “best capture the essence of the SDGs” in a manner that aligns with official data available across all states and UTs; and bring the SDGs to the fore of policy dialogue, formulation and implementation among central ministries as well as subnational authorities, within the broader “framework of cooperative and competitive federalism.”

The Index uses 62 priority indicators, as guided by: the Indian Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework; relevance to the SDGs; and data availability/ownership. At the subnational level, the Index allows states and UTs to benchmark and compare progress, identify priority work areas, and determine which data gaps need to be filled. The Index notes each state and UT’s score for 13 of the 17 SDGs, as well as an overarching composite score. Four SDGs (Goals 12, 13, 14 and 17) are not included in the Index, due to state-level data gaps.

According to news releases on Insights and LiveMint, three states stand out as performing best: Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, all with composite scores in the upper 60s (on a scale of 0-100). The UT Chandigarh is also a frontrunner, with a score of 68. The composite scores are based on their aggregate performance against the Goals and their respective targets. India’s overall score is 58.

The articles note that on particular SDG areas, the average score for the states is lowest for SDG 5 on gender equality (36), SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities (39), SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure (44), and SDG 2 on zero hunger (48). However, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant emphasizes that the scores are expected to trigger change at the grassroots level, with competition among states seen as key to achieving the SDGs.

The Index is accompanied by a dashboard that allows users to visualize states’ and UTs’ performance, both in the aggregate and against specific SDGs. The metadata for each of the indicators that feed into the index are available to download from the dashboard. [Publication: SDG India Index: Baseline Report 2018] [UN in India Website]

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