India is ranked 112th out of 166 countries in achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2023.
According to the ‘State of India’s Environment 2024’ report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), despite an improvement from its 121st rank in 2022, India lags behind neighboring South Asian nations.
Bhutan secures the region's highest rank at 61st, followed by the Maldives (68th), Sri Lanka (83rd), Nepal (99th), and Bangladesh (101st). In contrast, Pakistan is positioned at 128th, and Afghanistan trails at 158th.The report utilized data from the UN-backed Sustainable Development Report 2023 to assess the countries’ progress.
Nitin Desai, former UN undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, emphasized India's poor performance in comparison to its regional peers. He stated, "India is behind many South Asian countries in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals, and it seems that its economic process has not adequately rubbed off on the parameters linked to broad societal quality of life agendas."
India's overall score rose to 63.45 percent in 2023, a slight improvement from the previous year's 60.3 percent. However, specific parameters reveal concerning trends. Performance on "reducing inequalities" and "life on land" has declined, particularly in conserving biodiversity, where India ranks near the bottom.
The nation also faces challenges in the domains of "sustainable cities," "equality," "clean water and sanitation," and "peace, justice, and strong institutions." The indicators for "no hunger" and "sustainable cities and communities" have stagnated, posing obstacles to comprehensive SDG fulfillment.
Despite these setbacks, India has maintained progress on indicators related to "poverty" and "sustainable consumption."
The United Nations adopted 17 SDGs in 2015, aiming for a universal call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and ensure global peace and prosperity by 2030. However, experts, including Nitin Desai, express skepticism about meeting the 2030 deadline, emphasizing the need for intensified efforts to align economic progress with societal well-being.
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