Lok Sabha Question No. 2652 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-04
Subject: Sustainable Development Goals
Ministry: PLANNING
Asked by: Shashi Tharoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PLANNING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2652 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2019

## Sustainable Development Goals

## 2652. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:

- (a) the significance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are meant to guide global  development  efforts  for  15  years  from  2015  to  2030,  in  the  Indian  and  global context;
- (b) the salient features of SDG India Index;
- (c) whether  SDG  India  Index  is  effective  in  promoting  competitive  and  cooperative Federalism among States and UTs; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are integral to the 2030 Agenda, which 193 countries including India have committed to achieve by the year 2030. The SDGs and associated 169 targets are detailed in the UN resolution, 'Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development' which was adopted on 25 th September 2015. The SDGs comprehensively cover social, economic and environmental dimensions and build  on  the  Millennium  Development Goals (MDGs) that covered the earlier fifteenyear period from 2000 to 2015. Notably, the SDGs constitute a universal agreement to end poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, and have been developed  through  an  unprecedented  consultative  process.  The  SDGs  and  associated targets constitute a comprehensive  strategic framework  to guide and streamline development action for greater achievement of human wellbeing in the global as well as Indian context.
- (b) The  SDG  India  Index  2018  provides  critical  insights  on  the  status  of  SDGs  in  the country even though it does not cover all SDG targets due to limited data availability. The SDG Index is a useful tool to:
- i. Provide  an  integrated  and  balanced  view  of  the  social,  economic  and  environmental dimensions of development in States/UTs as well as at the national level;
- ii. Support  States/UTs  to  measure  their  progress  with  respect  to  the  national  targets  and performance of their peers, and devise better strategies to achieve the SDGs by 2030;
- iii. Support States/UTs to identify priority areas as working on all SDG areas at the same time  may  be  challenging.  It  will  help  States/UTs  to  suitably  plan  their  initiatives  and investments to address their SDG priorities;
- iv. Highlight data gaps across SDGs and identify areas for building individual and systems capacity for better data management.
- (c) & (d) The SDG India Index tracks progress of all the States and UTs with respect to SDGs and ranks the States/UTs on a scale of 0 to 100 based on their performance. By showcasing comparative achievement by States/UTs it ignites a competitive ethos across the States and UTs while encouraging mutual learning and cooperation. As a result, the Index is playing a key role in driving the SDG agenda in the country. The results of the ranking were highly publicised through the media raising awareness on SDGs at many levels - within government, media, researchers, and civil society organisations. In many States/  UTs,  after  the  release  of  the  Index  report,  SDG  reviews  were  initiated  or strengthened.  Some  governments  instituted  high-level  committees  to  oversee  SDG adoption. The Index also played a key role in pushing the process of SDG localisation in some States/ UTs to the next level where district-level monitoring was initiated, thereby promoting healthy competition also among the districts. Thus, the SDG India Index is effective in promoting competitive and cooperative Federalism among States and UTs.

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