Shubham Ghosh
The South Indian state of Kerala lived up to its reputation once again by retaining the top spot in the 2020-21 index for sustainable development goals (SDGs) of NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s public policy think tank. On the other hand, the North Indian state of Bihar has been found to be the worst performer, according to the report released on Thursday, June 3. The SDG index assesses the progress of states and Union Territories (UTs) on social, economic and environmental parameters and is released annually.
Kerala, which is India’s only Left-ruled state, scored an impressive 75 and it was followed by its neighbour Tamil Nadu and another northern state Himachal Pradesh, both of which scored 74. Among the UTs, Chandigarh retained its top rank with a score of 79. Among others, Assam (57) and Jharkhand (56) found themselves in the company of Bihar (52). India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in Bihar and Assam while it was also in control of Jharkhand till December 2019.
On Thursday, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said while launching the third rendition of the SDG index: “Our effort of monitoring SDGs through the SDG India Index and Dashboard continues to be widely noticed and applauded around the world. It remains a rare data-driven initiative to rank our states and union territories by computing a composite index on the SDGs.”
Index a primary tool for monitoring SDG progress
The index, which was first launched in December 2018, has emerged as the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in India and has also encouraged a competition among the country’s states and UTs by awarding them ranks on global goals. The index, which has been developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India, measures the progress made at the national and sub-national level in India’s march towards meeting those goals.
The third edition of the index covers 17 goals, 70 targets and 115 indicators. Under the first edition (2018-19), the index covered 13 goals, 39 targets and 62 indicators, while under the second (2019-20), it covered 17 goals, 54 targets and 100 indicators. The SDGs work towards achieving 17 goals and 169 related targets by the year 2030.
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images