85% of north-eastern districts in front runner category in North-Eastern Region District SDG Index 2023-24: NITI Aayog
The second edition of the index, released by NITI Aayog, on Monday shows an overall increase in the proportion of districts in the front runner category to 85% from 62% in the last edition. However, not a single district is in the achievers category.
'This signifies the impact of the national flagship schemes coupled with the localisation efforts of the states and saturation of benefits through initiatives like the Aspirational Districts Programme,' the Aayog said in the report.Significant improvements have been observed in the indicators linked to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in sectors such as access to clean cooking fuel, housing, electricity, sanitation, drinking water, bank accounts, child and maternal health services, schooling and attendance, birth registration, unmet need for family planning, health insurance, among others.'This momentum will be key to closing the gap with the national average in the short and medium term and for states to feature among the top states in the long term,' the Aayog said.
In this context, indicator level analysis is crucial for identifying gaps and accelerating progress in the short term and beyond. It would also help in addressing intra-regional and inter-district disparities to ensure that performance is in line with or above the national average.The index, developed by the Aayog collaboratively with the ministry of development of north eastern region, state governments of the north eastern region and UNDP India, covers 15 SDGs and ranks 121 of 131 districts of the region compared to 105 districts compared in the previous edition released in 2021.As per the index, Nagaland exhibited the widest range (15.07 points between its highest and lowest performing districts) indicating the significant intra-state disparity while Sikkim has the narrowest range (5.5 points), showing the most consistent performance across its districts.On the other hand, Tripura has the distinction of having some of the highest-scoring districts with minimum intra-state disparities (6.5 points) while Mizoram and Nagaland have some of the highest-scoring districts but also show significant intra-state variation (ranges of 13.72 and 15.07, respectively).With less than five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), expediting focused efforts to ensure inclusive development for all is imperative, the Aayog cautioned.
As per the report, the Aayog proposes to institutionalise SDGs in the north-eastern states through the whole of government approach, investment in data infrastructure and capacities, integrating SDG targets into government budget and recognising the role of partnership, including South-South cooperation as a key strategy to accelerate SDG progress.
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