PANAJI
In another feather to its cap, Goa was ranked third in Niti Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2020-21.
Goa’s score was put at 72 along with Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand amongst 28 other Indian States.
Incidentally, Goa also topped the clean water and sanitation goal.
Kerala retained its rank as the top State with a score of 75. Both Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu took the second spot with a score of 74.
The Index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters.
Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam were the worst performing States in this year's India index.
The third rendition of India's SDG Index was launched by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Thursday.
Further, Chandigarh maintained its top spot among the UTs with a score of 79, followed by Delhi (68).
Mizoram, Haryana and Uttarakhand are the top gainers in 2020-21 in terms of improvement in score from 2019, with an increase of 12, 10 and 8 points, respectively.
While in 2019, 10 states/UTs belonged to the category of front-runners (score in the range 65-99, including both), 12 more states/UTs find themselves in this category in 2020-21.
Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Punjab, Haryana, Tripura, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh graduated to the category of front-runners (scores between 65 and 99, including both).
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, Mr 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.
On the theme of partnerships which is central to goal 17, NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul said, It is clear that by working together we can build a more resilient and sustainable future, where no one is left behind.
