No time to rest (India Breaks into Top 100 of SDG Report 2024), Pg8

Context:

• India entered the top 100 of the Sustainable Development Report 2024 for the first time, showing progress on some SDGs, but still underperforming on governance, hunger, and institutional strength.

Key Highlights:

• India ranked 99th out of 167 countries in the Sustainable Development Report 2024, up from 110th in 2016.
• Strong performance in poverty reduction (SDG 1), despite lack of recent public consumption expenditure data.
• Persistent challenges in zero hunger (SDG 2) with high levels of stunting (35.5%) and wasting (19.3%) among children.
• Progress in electricity access (SDG 7) and becoming the 4th largest renewables deployer globally.
• Digital infrastructure (SDG 9) improved via mobile penetration and UPI, but rural-urban Internet divide remains.
• Weak performance in SDG 16 – governance, press freedom, rule of law, and institutional independence.

Detailed Insights:

• The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) report tracks global SDG performance and is used by governments for policy benchmarking.
• India’s ranking improvement reflects success in poverty reduction, inferred from proxy estimates, as official consumption data has not been released post-2018.
• Poverty ratio is estimated to have dropped from 22% in 2012 to 12% in 2023, based on World Bank models.
• Despite improvements, malnutrition remains high – with only marginal improvements in stunting and wasting, and rising urban obesity, indicating a double burden of malnutrition.
• India has achieved near-universal household electrification, but power quality and duration remain regionally unequal.
• The country is now the 4th largest renewable energy deployer, aligning with SDG 7 and SDG 13 targets.
• Digital infrastructure growth, especially UPI and mobile penetration, boosted financial inclusion, but rural Internet access lags, affecting educational outcomes (SDG 4).
• SDG 16 performance remains poor, reflecting growing concerns over institutional independence, press freedom, and rule of law during recent years.

Way forward: 

• Prioritize Nutrition Security: Launch targeted interventions to combat child stunting, wasting, and the double burden of malnutrition, with a focus on vulnerable districts.
• Strengthen Governance & Institutions: Uphold institutional independence, enhance transparency, and safeguard press freedom to improve trust and SDG 16 outcomes.
• Close the Digital Divide: Expand affordable, high-quality internet access and digital literacy in rural and underserved areas to bridge educational and economic gaps.
• Ensure Data-Driven Policy: Regularly release and update official data on poverty, nutrition, and social indicators to enable evidence-based decision-making.

Key Concepts Involved:

• SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals): 17 UN goals aimed at achieving sustainable development by 2030.
• Stunting and Wasting: Indicators of chronic and acute child malnutrition—stunting is low height-for-age; wasting is low weight-for-height.
• UPI (Unified Payments Interface): A real-time digital payment system that enhances financial inclusion.
• SDSN (Sustainable Development Solutions Network): A UN-affiliated body that tracks SDG progress globally.