PIB Summary - 8th July 2025 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

NITI Aayog releases second edition of the North Eastern Region District SDG Index (2023-24)

Overview & Significance of the District SDG Index

• Released by: NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), with technical assistance from UNDP. 
• Edition: This is the second edition; the first was launched on 26 August 2021. 
• Objective: To assess the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the district level across 121 districts in 8 Northeastern states. 
• Methodology: The index is based on the SDG India Index framework developed by NITI Aayog. 
• Utility: The index aids in evidence-based planning, identifies development gaps, and guides necessary interventions. 

 Categories of Districts 

• Achiever: Score of 100 
• Front Runner: Score between 65 and 99 
• Performer: Score between 50 and 64 
• Aspirant: Score below 50 

 Key Highlights 

• Overall Improvement: 85% of districts improved their composite scores compared to the previous edition. 
• Top Performers: Hnahthial district in Mizoram emerged as the top performer in the Northeast with a score of 81.43. 
• Lowest Scorer: Longding district in Arunachal Pradesh recorded the lowest score at 58.71. 
• Nagaland: For the first time, three districts from Nagaland made it to the Top 10 list. 
• Sikkim: Displayed consistent performance across districts with only a 5.5-point variation in scores. 
• Tripura: High-performing districts with low variation in scores (6.5 points). 
• Mizoram and Nagaland: Both states showed strong performance but had higher variations in scores within the state (13.72 and 15.07 points, respectively). 

 SDG Goal-wise Insights 

• Good Health & Well-being (SDG 3): Scores improved in 93 districts under this goal. 
• Assam:Significant improvements were noted in several SDGs including: 
  •  Zero Hunger (SDG 2) 
  •  Quality Education (SDG 4) 
  •  Clean Water & Sanitation (SDG 6) 
  •  Decent Work & Economic Growth (SDG 8) 

 State-wise Best & Worst Performing Districts 

 Institutional Remarks 

• Suman Bery (Vice Chair, NITI Aayog): Highlighted the need to achieve SDGs by 2030 as a crucial step towards Viksit Bharat by 2047. 
• B.V.R. Subrahmanyam (CEO, NITI Aayog): Underlined the Prime Minister’s vision of Ashta Lakshmi and the development of the Northeast region. 
• Chanchal Kumar (Secretary, MoDoNER): Mentioned that the index helps in identifying gaps and facilitates efficient resource allocation. 
• Dr. Angela Lusigi (UNDP): Emphasized the importance of transforming data into action for human development. 

 Implications & Takeaways 

• Policy Alignment: The index reflects strong alignment with government policies, particularly flagship schemes like the Aspirational Districts Programme. 
• Localization of SDGs: It reinforces the localization of SDGs with effective district-level monitoring. 
• Cooperative Federalism: The index encourages cooperative federalism through collaborative monitoring and development efforts. 
• Foundation for Interventions: It sets the groundwork for targeted interventions and enhanced public service delivery in the Northeast region. 

 NITI Aayog SDG India Index – Key Highlights 

• Launched: The SDG India Index was first introduced in 2018 to monitor India’s progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the state and Union Territory (UT) levels. 
• Prepared by: The index is prepared by NITI Aayog with support from UNDP India and technical expertise from GIZ in earlier editions. 
• Framework: The index is aligned with the 17 SDGs adopted by UN Member States under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 
• Latest Edition: The SDG Index 2023 includes over 100 indicators covering social, economic, and environmental dimensions. 
• Coverage: The index tracks the performance of all States and Union Territories, and increasingly district-level performance, as seen in the North Eastern Region Index and Aspirational Districts. 
• Scoring Categories:
  •  Achiever: 100 
  •  Front Runner: 65–99 
  •  Performer: 50–64 
  •  Aspirant: Below 50 
• Top Performers (2023): In 2023–24, Kerala and Uttarakhand topped the Index with a score of 79, followed by Tamil Nadu (78) and Goa & Himachal Pradesh (77).