Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals are a bold pledge by leaders of the world to establish a global agenda that encompasses aspects of the economy, environment, and society. India as a UN member has approved the “Agenda 2030” comprising 17 goals and 169 targets. This study intends to measure India's progress toward the SDGs by evaluating the performance of all Indian States/UTs using the NITI Aayog's SDG India Index versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 produced in compliance with international standards. The findings of the study suggest a consistent improvement in the overall score of India from 57 in 2017-18 to 66 in 2020-21. This suggests a considerable improvement in state and UTs performance during the tenure. The study emphasizes that if nations have to adhere to the SDG goals by 2030, robust frameworks and indexes have to be designed and implemented in an effective manner.
Top1. Introduction
The United Nations member states created and accepted the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) originated from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) address the objectives left unmet by the MDGs and are envisioned as the conclusion of a long history of efforts by member countries and UN ministries (Nair et al., 2021). Since the Millennium Development Goals were adopted in 2000, the world has seen tremendous political and economic developments. The gains of growth were not dispersed fairly in many nations. Resulting in a decrease in economic welfare in response to the depletion of natural resources and other material inputs due to a rise in energy consumption. As a result, in 2015, the Sustainable Development Targets (SDGs) were created to address these issues with greater ambitious, inclusive, and comprehensive goals than the MDGs (N. I. T. I. Aayog, 2018). SDGs have a greater reach than MDGs and apply to both developed and developing countries. Three pillars of sustainable development, are economic development, social development, and environmental protection. These characteristics set the Sustainable Development Goals apart from the Millennium Development Goals.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sustainable Development (SD): Sustainable development is the concept of meeting societal wants and aspirations while protecting the ability of the natural system to produce fundamental resources in a sustainable way for future generations on which the nation's economy is built.
SDG India Index: The SDG India Index is the first subnational government-led evaluation of SDG development in the world. It is constructed to popularise and implement a quick and cross-cutting tool for evaluating subnational success in accomplishing the SDGs individually and cumulatively.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a series of 17 ambitious goals approved by the 193 UN member states in order to eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and offer equal growth opportunities for all by 2030 so that no one is left in the vague.
Voluntary National Review (VNR): The Voluntary National Review (VNR) is a mechanism through which member states assess and publish their progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda, including the gain around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. VNRs are meant to examine how the country is progressing toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Indicator-Based Assessment: Indicators are becoming an increasingly significant tool for tracking and evaluating SD. The process of interpreting data from indicators to provide unambiguous policy recommendations is known as indicator-based evaluation