Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh has shown commendable improvement in the latest SDG India Index 2023-24, a principal tool for measuring national and subnational progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The index, which tracks the performance of states and union territories on 113 indicators aligned with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) National Indicator Framework, highlights significant strides made by the Northeastern state.
The report was released by NITI Aayog vice-chairperson Suman Bery recently.
Arunachal Pradesh has improved its composite score by 5 points since 2020-21, placing it in the Front Runner category. The state’s progress reflects its commitment to achieving sustainable development goals.
Key SDG performances include:
Zero Hunger: The state is a Front Runner, showing significant progress in addressing hunger.
Good Health and Well-being: Arunachal Pradesh is a Front Runner in health metrics, although neighboring Assam continues to struggle with a high maternal mortality ratio.
Quality Education: As an aspirant, the state is working towards improving educational outcomes.
Gender Equality: Arunachal Pradesh strives for gender equality, inspired by the high women’s participation in household decisions as seen in Nagaland.
Other notable performances:
Groundwater Extraction: Arunachal Pradesh has the best performance with only 0.42% extraction.
Mobile Network Coverage: The state faces challenges with the least number of villages having 3G/4G coverage (47.9%).
Sewage Treatment: Arunachal Pradesh, along with other Northeastern states, has no installed sewage treatment capacity.
“Arunachal’s journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is marked by significant progress and ongoing challenges in factors such as poverty alleviation, mobile network coverage, etc. which we are looking to address. However, the state’s commitment to sustainable development is evident in its improved scores and focused efforts across various indicators,” an official said.
The composite score for India in 2023-24 is 71, with states like Assam and Manipur making the most progress. Despite its challenges, Arunachal Pradesh’s score improvement underscores its commitment to sustainable development.
This fourth edition of the SDG India Index tracks progress across 113 indicators aligned with 16 SDGs.
The index shows a remarkable rise highlighting substantial progress across these indicators. Kerala and Uttarakhand lead among states, while Chandigarh tops among Union Territories.
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