THE CONTEXT: The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Sustainable Development Report 2025 places India 99 / 167 with an SDG Index score of ≈67, entering the global top 100 for the first time—up from 110 / 157 in 2016 and 112 just two years ago. The elevation signals steady structural progress, yet only 17 percent of global SDG targets are on track, highlighting that India’s current momentum is still insufficient for 2030 timelines.
THE BACKGROUND: Adopted in 2015, the 17 SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with a more holistic, rights-based paradigm. India domesticated this agenda through instruments such as the SDG India Index (NITI Aayog, 2018 onward) and the National Indicator Framework (NIF). Cooperative federalism, outcome-based budgeting, and the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) stack constitute India’s primary implementation architecture.
INDIA’S PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD:
| PILLAR | NOTABLE GAINS (GREEN) | STAGNATION / REGRESSION | KEY DATA-POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDG 1 – No Poverty | Rapid fall in multidimensional poverty; 270 million people exited extreme poverty (2011-12 to 2022-23). | Consumption-expenditure datasets only released in 2024 (HCES); poverty lines still anchored to 2011-12. | Extreme poverty 5.3 %; rural MPCE ₹4,122 vs urban ₹6,996 (2023-24). |
| SDG 2 – Zero Hunger | Procurement-based Public Distribution System, POSHAN 2.0 convergence. | Child stunting 35.5 %, wasting 19.3 % (NFHS-5); adult overweight/obesity doubled since 2006. | Triple burden of malnutrition persists. |
| SDG 7 – Affordable & Clean Energy | Near-universal household electrification; RE capacity 180 GW (May 2025) with 24 % y-o-y generation jump. | Reliability gap—SAIFI > 25 in many DISCOMs; rural feeders average 14 hrs/day vs 22 hrs urban. | |
| SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure | UPI averages 650 million transactions/day, world’s largest real-time payments rail. | Broadband penetration only 68.6 per 100; rural tele-density 58.9 %. | |
| SDG 16 – Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions | Electoral inclusion (voter turnout 67 %). | Press Freedom rank 159 / 180; Rule-of-Law rank 79 / 142; CPI rank 96 / 180 (score 38). | Governance deficit is India’s biggest drag. |
DRIVERS OF IMPROVEMENT:
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- JAM Trinity & Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): leakage fell from 52 % (pre-2014 LPG) to <10 % in multiple schemes.
- Digital Public Goods: Aadhaar-enabled e-KYC and UPI lowered transaction costs to <₹0.05 per payment.
- Energy Transition Push: Solar auction tariffs <₹2.30/kWh; PM-KUSUM mainstreams decentralised RE for farmers.
- Targeted Social Protection: PM-Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, PM-Kisan and Ayushman Bharat expanded the safety net.
THE ISSUES:
Data and Measurement Deficit
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- Lagged surveys: SDG monitoring still leans on NFHS-5 (2019-21) and pre-COVID NSS rounds, masking post-pandemic reversals.
- Outdated poverty line: Tendulkar-era calorific anchors understate vulnerability; Rangarajan line (₹47 urban) is not inflation-indexed.
Nutrition Paradox
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- Persistent child under-nutrition co-exists with rising adult obesity (urban BMI ≥ 25: 24 %).
- Micronutrient deficiencies (anaemia 57 % among women) erode human capital.
Governance & Institutional Quality
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- Press-freedom slump and judicial delays (4.2 crore pending cases) weaken SDG 16.
- Fiscal opacity at state-run DISCOMs and urban local bodies complicates SDG financing.
Environmental Sustainability
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- India’s per-capita CO₂ emissions 1.9 t but absolute emissions third-highest; REDD+, nitrogen overuse and Red-List Index deterioration continue.
Uneven Digital & Social Infrastructure
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- Only 20 % of Gram Panchayats have fibre backhaul (<100 Mbps); e-learning outcomes stalled during COVID-19 due to device gaps.
Fiscal & Federal Coordination
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- States’ capital expenditure fell to 2.8 % of GSDP in FY 2024-25 as GST compensations ended, constraining SDG spending.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE & POLICY FRAMEWORK:
| Domain | Key Interventions | Critical Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | Poshan 2.0, Saksham Anganwadi, Fortification Standards (FSSAI) | Lacks community-based behaviour-change; still calorie-centric. |
| Poverty & Livelihoods | PM-SVANidhi, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, Livelihood Mission | Urban informal workers’ social security portable but patchy. |
| Energy | Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (300 units/month) | Financing and storage infrastructure remain bottlenecks. |
| Digital | BharatNet Phase-II (fiber to 640k villages), Digital India Act 2025 draft | Last-mile maintenance & digital literacy absent. |
| Governance | National Judicial Infrastructure Authority (draft), Digital Lokpal, e-Courts v3 | Backlog reduction hinges on state judiciary cooperation. |
THE WAY FORWARD:
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- Re-base India’s Poverty Line with New Consumption Data: Use the 2023-24 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) micro-data to reset rural and urban poverty thresholds and publish a district-wise Multidimensional Poverty Index every January.
- Tighten Child-Nutrition Delivery through the POSHAN Tracker: Make Aadhaar-based facial authentication on the POSHAN Tracker compulsory for all Take-Home Rations by December 2025 and geo-tag every Anganwadi kitchen-garden to add fresh vegetables to the menu.
- Link RDSS Funds to Measurable Power-Supply Reliability: Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, withhold 10 per cent of the grant until a DISCOM’s System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) falls below 20 and prepaid smart-meter roll-out exceeds 50 per cent of feeders.
- Close the Rural Digital Gap with Franchise-Based BharatNet: Award five-year operation-and-maintenance contracts for BharatNet fibre to village-level entrepreneurs who can reuse idle telecom towers and share spectrum under Unified Licence rules; pay them a fixed service fee from the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
- Slash Case Backlogs via e-Courts Phase III “Evening Courts”: Use the ₹7,210-crore e-Courts Phase III budget to run video-conferenced evening benches (18:00–21:00) for traffic, service-matter and contract disputes, staffed by retired judges on a per-session honorarium.
- Guarantee Food-Security Portability for Migrants: Complete One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) coverage in the remaining metro pockets and integrate it with Jan Dhan accounts so that migrant workers can opt for Direct Benefit Transfer of food subsidy when they travel.
THE CONCLUSION:
India’s climb into the SDG top 100 is an inflection point—not a destination. Bridging governance deficits, nutrition paradoxes and digital divides through data-rich, citizen-centred, and climate-compatible policies could position India as a template for “People-centric, Planet-positive, Prosperity-oriented” development by 2030.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. Access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy is the sine qua non to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Comment on the progress made in India in this regard. 2018
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. Critically examine the key drivers of India’s improved ranking and analyse the persistent bottlenecks in SDGs. Suggest interventions to accelerate India’s SDG performance by 2030
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