New Delhi (PTI): Uttarakhand and Kerala have emerged as the top performer states in NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index 2023-24, which evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters, while Bihar has been adjudged as the worst performer.

According to the NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index 2023-24, India’s overall Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) score increased to 71 in 2023-24, compared to 66 in 2020-21, supported by significant progress on eliminating poverty, providing decent work, economic growth, climate action and life on land.

Among states, Uttarakhand and Kerala have emerged as joint top performing states with a score of 79, followed by Tamil Nadu (78) and Goa (77).

On the contrary, Bihar (57), Jharkhand (62) and Nagaland (63) were the worst performing states in this year’s index.

Among the union territories, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Delhi were the top five performers.

“Targeted intervention by the government has helped India achieve significant improvements across 16 goals set under the SDGs,” NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said after releasing the report.

“India is not only on track and ahead of others in achieving most of the targets under SDGs,” he said, adding the government hopes to achieve targets before 2030 across some of these goals.

The index shows that out of the 16 goals, India’s overall score is below 50 only on the ‘Goal 5’ (gender equality).

According to the report, all states have shown an improvement in overall score.

Scores for states ranged from 57 to 79 in 2023-24, significant improvement from 66 in 2020-21 and 57 in 2018 (baseline report).

Between 2018 and 2023-24, Uttar Pradesh was the fastest moving state as it increased its score by 25, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

The fourth edition of SDG India Index measured and tracked national progress of all states and UTs on 113 indicators.

The SDGs, constituted through an unprecedented consultative process, have 17 goals and 169 related targets to be achieved by 2030.

“Among these, goal 13 (climate action) has shown the most substantial improvement with its score increasing from 54 to 67, goal 1 (no poverty) follows closely, with its score rising significantly from 60 to 72.” the report said.

The report added that progress underscores the effects of the focused programmatic interventions and schemes of the Union and state governments in improving the lives of citizens.

It said this year, 32 states/UTs have scored between 65 and 99, up from 22 in the 2020-21 edition.

First launched in December 2018, the index has become the primary tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs in the country and has simultaneously fostered competition among the states and union territories by ranking them on the global goals.

The index, developed in collaboration with the United Nations in India, measures the progress at the national and sub-national level in the country’s journey towards meeting the global goals and targets. It has been successful as an advocacy tool to propagate the messages of sustainability, resilience and partnerships as well.