SDGs: Challenges beyond financing as progress lags in some states

A few states have been providing an SDG budget as part of their Budget papers. Haryana has been providing estimates from 2018-19 onwards, with other states like Odisha and Meghalaya joining later

India has reported significant progress, as reflected in the SDG index, which ranks countries on their attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the country as a whole, the index has increased from 57 in 2018 to 71 in 2023-24. States, too, have reported clear improvements in performance across many goals. The average increase in the composite index across states between 2020-21 and 2023-24 is five units, with some states reporting an increase of up to eight units. The focus on the localisation of SDG implementation, with state and district indices, has fostered competition among various entities