According to Lancet study, India is like to miss deadline for 50% of SDG indicators.
What are Sustainable Development Goals?
The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 with a vision to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
The SDGs, officially known as ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ is a set of 17 Global Goals with 169 targets between them.
They are a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years.
The SDGs follow, and expand on, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were agreed by governments in 2000, and ended on 2015.
Enormous progress has been made on the MDGs, showing the value of a unifying agenda underpinned by goals and targets.
Despite this success, the indignity of poverty has not been ended for all.
The new Global Goals, and the broader sustainability agenda, go much further than the MDGs, addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people.
India is one of the signatory countries that has committed to achieving these goals by 2030.
What is the issue?
India is trailing behind in achieving more than 50% of indicators under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seven years before the 2030 deadline.
SDG Indicators – 75% of Indian districts are off target for 8 indicators: Poverty; Anaemia; Child marriage domestic violence; Stunting and wasting of children; Access to essential services; Modern contraceptive use; and Tobacco consumption.
India will not be able to meet the targets on anaemia.
Off-target Districts – They are concentrated in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.
SDG Index – India slipped 3 ranks from 117 to 120 on the SDG Index, according to the State of Environment report released by the Centre for Science and Environment.
This ranking placed India behind all South Asian nations except for Pakistan.
How India has performed so far?
India achieved the goal of one SDG indicator relating to adolescent pregnancy in the age group of 10-14 years.
The results point to an urgent need to increase the momentum on 4 SDG goals, No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being and Gender Equality.
India faring well – These SDG indicators include bank accounts for women, birth registration, internet use, electricity access, vaccination, birth registration, and lowering of child marriage.
India has registered a significant decline in maternal mortality rates.
Meeting the targets – India may meet the target of improved water access, clean fuel for cooking, lowering teenage pregnancy age, and partner sexual violence.
