A) PUNJAB AND ODISHA
B) UTTARAKHAND AND KERALA
C) UTTARAKHAND AND GOA
D) ODISHA AND KERALA
ANS: B
NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24 full details
The NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index 2023-24 on July 12, 2024, marking the fourth edition of this comprehensive tool designed to measure and track the progress of Indian states and union territories (UTs) toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key Highlights:
National Progress: India's overall SDG score improved to 71 in 2023-24, up from 66 in 2020-21 and 57 in 2018. This improvement reflects significant strides in areas such as poverty eradication, economic growth, climate action, and life on land.
Top Performing States: Kerala and Uttarakhand emerged as the best-performing states, each achieving a score of 79.
States Showing Significant Improvement: Between 2018 and 2023-24, Uttar Pradesh showed the most significant improvement with an increase of 25 points, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (21 points), Uttarakhand (19 points), Sikkim (18 points), and Haryana (17 points).
States Needing Attention: Bihar scored the lowest with 57 points, followed by Jharkhand at 62 points.
Category Classification: A total of 32 states and UTs are now in the 'Front Runner' category (scores between 65–99), with 10 new entrants including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Goal-Specific Progress:
Goal 1 (No Poverty): The score increased from 60 to 72, reflecting the impact of targeted government interventions.
Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Significant progress was observed, contributing to the overall improvement in the national score.
Goal 13 (Climate Action): This goal recorded the highest increase, with the score rising from 54 in 2020-21 to 67 in 2023-24.
Contributing Government Initiatives:
The progress in these goals is attributed to various government schemes and programs, including:
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Over 4 crore houses built.
Swachh Bharat Mission: 11 crore toilets and 2.23 lakh community sanitary complexes constructed.
Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Over 10 crore LPG connections provided.
Jal Jeevan Mission: Over 14.9 crore households received tap water connections.
Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: Benefited over 30 crore people.
National Food Security Act (NFSA): Benefited 80 crore people.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: INR 3,400 billion directly transferred through Jan Dhan accounts.
The SDG India Index 2023-24 serves as a vital tool for policymakers, enabling them to identify gaps, prioritize actions, and formulate strategies to achieve sustainable development across the nation by 2030.
