VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has emerged as one of the top three performing States in the country in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2019. NITI Aayog released the SDG India Index rankings on Monday. Tamil Nadu and Telangana stood third in the SDG index along with Andhra Pradesh, while Kerala and Chandigarh retained their top spot among the States and Union Territories, respectively while Himachal Pradesh came second among the States. India’s composite score on a global scale has also improved from 57 in 2018 to 60 in 2019.
Apart from improving its composite score from 64 in 2018 to 67 in 2019, the State also stood as a top performer in ‘peace justice and strong institutions’ (Goal 16) ‘clean water and sanitation’ (Goal 6). It upgraded itself from a performing State in the SDG index to the frontrunner. In Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation), AP outperformed other States with 96 points with Uttar Pradesh coming second with 94 points.
However, Chandigarh, which stood first among Union Territories, achieved a perfect 100 in the category. In the 2018 SDG index, AP had scored only 59 and the improvement in the last one year in clean water and sanitation is significant. In Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), AP bagged first place with 86 points, with Gujarat coming second with the same score.
However, compared to 2018, the performance of the State has come down. In 2018, it had scored 90 and stood second. Though there was a marginal decrease in the number of reported murders, the number of cognisable crimes against children has increased compared to last year. The State stood second in pursuance of Goal 3 (good health and well-being) with 76 points. Kerala stood top with 82 points. In 2018, AP had secured just 68 points and stood at sixth place. The State retained its second place in performance pertaining to Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth) with a score of 78. Neighbouring Telangana bagged first place with a score of 82. In 2018, the State had scored 81, which shows that the State had under-performed in the category.
AP also bagged second place in the performance pertaining to Goal 13 (climate action) with a score of 70 with neighbouring Karnataka bagging top spot with 71 points. The State stood second in the pursuance of Goal 14 (life below water - marine ecosystems) among the nine coastal States of the country. It has secured 61, while the top spot went to Karnataka with 65 points.
The State secured third place with 69 points in the pursuance of Goal 1 (no poverty). Tamil Nadu and Tripura bagged the first two places with 72 and 70 points respectively. In 2018, AP had scored 67 points and stood at the fifth place. In the last one year, there has been a marked improvement in providing jobs under MGNREGS in the State. The State secured sixth place in Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) with 86 points and ninth place in Goal 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) with 66 points. Compared to 31 points and 20th place in 2018, it can be seen as a huge improvement.
However, the performance of the State in pursuance of remaining goals leaves much scope for improvement. With regard to Goal 2 (zero hunger), the State secured 19th place with 35 points as against 18th place (50 points) in 2018. As a matter of concern, the State fell behind in Goal 4 (quality education). It secured 18th place with 52 points as against third place with 77 points in 2018. The same was the case with Goal 5 (gender equality), in which the State secured 17th place with 37 points and 12th place with 68 points in Goal 10 (reduced inequality). It stood 22nd with 36 points in Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 16th in Goal 12 (sustainable consumption and production) and 19th in Goal 15 (life on land).
State first in clean water, sanitation
In Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation), AP outperformed other States with 96 points with UP coming second
In Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), AP bagged first place with 86 points, with Gujarat coming second
State stood second in good health and well-being