(a) the significance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are meant to guide global development efforts for 15 years from 2015 to 2030, in the Indian and global context;
(b) the salient features of SDG India Index;
(c) whether SDG India Index is effective in promoting competitive and cooperative Federalism among States and UTs; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
(RAO INDERJIT SINGH)
(a) The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integral to the 2030 Agenda, which 193 countries including India have committed to achieve by the year 2030. The SDGs and associated 169 targets are detailed in the UN resolution, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ which was adopted on 25th September 2015. The SDGs comprehensively cover social, economic and environmental dimensions and build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that covered the earlier fifteen-year period from 2000 to 2015. Notably, the SDGs constitute a universal agreement to end poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, and have been developed through an unprecedented consultative process. The SDGs and associated targets constitute a comprehensive strategic framework to guide and streamline development action for greater achievement of human wellbeing in the global as well as Indian context.
(b) The SDG India Index 2018 provides critical insights on the status of SDGs in the country even though it does not cover all SDG targets due to limited data availability. The SDG Index is a useful tool to:
i. Provide an integrated and balanced view of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of development in States/UTs as well as at the national level;
ii. Support States/UTs to measure their progress with respect to the national targets and performance of their peers, and devise better strategies to achieve the SDGs by 2030;
iii. Support States/UTs to identify priority areas as working on all SDG areas at the same time may be challenging. It will help States/UTs to suitably plan their initiatives and investments to address their SDG priorities;
iv. Highlight data gaps across SDGs and identify areas for building individual and systems capacity for better data management.
(c) & (d) The SDG India Index tracks progress of all the States and UTs with respect to SDGs and ranks the States/UTs on a scale of 0 to 100 based on their performance. By showcasing comparative achievement by States/UTs it ignites a competitive ethos across the States and UTs while encouraging mutual learning and cooperation. As a result, the Index is playing a key role in driving the SDG agenda in the country. The results of the ranking were highly publicised through the media raising awareness on SDGs at many levels – within government, media, researchers, and civil society organisations. In many States/ UTs, after the release of the Index report, SDG reviews were initiated or strengthened. Some governments instituted high-level committees to oversee SDG adoption. The Index also played a key role in pushing the process of SDG localisation in some States/ UTs to the next level where district-level monitoring was initiated, thereby promoting healthy competition also among the districts. Thus, the SDG India Index is effective in promoting competitive and cooperative Federalism among States and UTs.
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