Context:
- In its journey towards localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and instituting robust SDG progress monitoring systems at the national, State/UT, and local levels, NITI Aayog has launched the inaugural SDG Urban Index & Dashboard (2021-22).
About the Index
- The SDG Urban Index and Dashboard rank 56 urban a reason 77 SDG indicators across 46 targets of the SDG framework.
- The index and dashboard are a result of the NITI Aayog-GIZ and BMZ collaboration focused on driving SDG localization in our cities, under the umbrella of Indo-German Development Cooperation.
Methodology
- The statistical methodology for the SDG Urban Index is drawn from the globally accepted methodology developed by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
- The methodology, used for the SDG India Index and North Eastern Region District SDG Index as well, was finalised in close collaboration with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). A comprehensive list of 77 indicators, covering 46 global SDG targets across 15 SDGs, are used in the index.
- SDG 14 (life below water) has not been included as it is relevant for only coastal areas, which are only a few of the selected cities, and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) has been excluded as the progress of its targets are monitored at the national level.
- While progress under SDG 15 (life on land) has been measured using two indicators, they have not been used in estimating the scores, owing to a lack of adequate coverage. The indicators are aligned with MoSPI’s National Indicator Framework.
- According to the government think tank, for each SDG, the urban areas are ranked on a scale of 0-100.
- A score of 100 implies that the urban area has achieved the targets set for 2030; a score of 0 implies that it is the farthest from achieving the targets among the selected urban areas.
- The areas with a ranking between 0 and 49 have been ranked as aspirants, those with 50-64 are termed as performers, 65-99 are called front-runners and the ones with perfect scores are called achievers. However, not a single area has a perfect score.
- Aspirant: 0–49
- Performer: 50–64
- Front-Runner: 65–99
- Achiever: 100
As per Index
- The top 10 Urban areas in SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 are Shimla, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Panaji, Pune, Tiruchirapalli, Ahmedabad and Nagpur.
- Bottom 10 Urban Areas in SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 are Dhanbad, Meerut, Itanagar, Guwahati, Patna, Jodhpur, Kohima, Agra, Kolakata and Faridabad.
- Out of 56 urban areas ranked in the index, 44 are with a population of above one million, 12 are state capitals with a population of less than a million.
- While for some indicators, 'urban area' implies urban local bodies (ULBs), in other cases, it refers to all urban areas within a district collectively.
- The data on these indicators have been sourced from official data sources such as NFHS, NCRB, U-DISE, data portals of various ministries, and other government data sources.
Read more on SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020–21
