India Faces Roadblocks in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Understanding the Global SDG Framework

India Faces Roadblocks in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action adopted by the United Nations in 2015. There are 17 goals in total, targeting issues like poverty, education, clean energy, economic growth, and climate change. These goals are designed to be achieved by 2030 and each goal is accompanied by a set of indicators to track progress. India, being the most populous country, plays a vital role in this global mission.

How India Is Performing in SDGs

According to the State of States Report 2025, India lags behind in 9 out of 16 assessed SDGs. The report evaluated all 36 states and Union territories, and found that only a few goals have seen consistent progress. These include SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Notably, SDG 14 (Life Below Water) was excluded since it applies only to coastal states.

Missing Indicators and Framework Issues

The current SDG framework in India has several shortcomings. Important indicators have either been removed or are missing. For example, SDG 1 (No Poverty) no longer includes a direct measure of extreme poverty. SDG 6 lacks water quality metrics, which is crucial for understanding sanitation and health impacts.

SDG 7 is missing two key global indicators related to carbon emissions and renewable energy share. SDG 11, which focuses on sustainable cities, fails to include air quality and public transport metrics. Similarly, SDG 12 does not account for electronic waste management, which is becoming an increasingly important concern.

Regional Disparities and State-wise Gaps

All Indian states and UTs struggle with at least a few key indicators. Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu perform better but still fall short on one out of every six indicators. States like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, which have large populations, meet fewer than half of the SDG targets in over 30% of their tracked indicators. This shows a wide variation in development levels and implementation.

Data Collection Challenges

Data limitations pose another significant hurdle. India tracks 106 indicators for most states and 108 for coastal states, but this still leaves gaps in critical areas. For instance, SDG 14 lacks data for Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. SDG 15, which covers land ecosystems, has missing data on afforestation for 13 states.

Future Outlook for India’s SDG Progress

The findings are sourced from the SDG Index 2023-24 and the Sustainable Development Report 2024. India must act swiftly to address these gaps. With only five years left until the 2030 deadline, the focus must shift to targeted reforms, robust data systems, and stronger state-level accountability. The central challenge is not lack of intent but ensuring inclusive implementation.

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