&w=3840&q=100)
85% Northeastern districts are top SDG performers, says NITI Aayog
'This signifies the impact of the national flagship schemes coupled with the localisation efforts of states and saturation of benefits through initiatives like the aspirational districts programme,' noted NITI Aayog in its latest 'Northeastern region district SDG index' report released on Monday.
A district is categorised as 'front runner' if it has a score between 65 and 99 in the SDG index. If it has a score of between 50 and 64.9, it is categorised as 'performer'.
The index is a joint effort of the ministry of development of Northeastern region (MDoNER) and NITI Aayog – with technical support from the United Nations development programme (UNDP).
The index is first of its kind progress tracking tool for the Northeastern region as it provides a granular, district level assessment of progress made on the 17 SDGs.
The first edition of the region's district SDG index was released in August 2021. While the first edition of the index covered 103 of 120 (86 per cent) districts of the region, this edition covers 121 out of 131 (92 per cent) districts.
The present edition of the index has 84 indicators. Of the 84 indicators, data for 41 indicators is from various ministries/departments of the Union government and that for 43 indicators is from state sources.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India.com
7 days ago
- India.com
Water crisis in India: These are the top Indian cities that will face major water crisis by 2030, names are...
Water is an essential element for human survival; however, several parts of the country are experiencing dwindling water sources. Groundwater is depleting. Every summer, numerous rivers dry up. Women are usually seen carrying heavy pots and mutkas, struggling under the scorching sun in search of water. Whereas in urban areas, people are standing in line with buckets outside their homes waiting for water tankers. Even today, many individuals have been counting on water tankers to meet their daily water requirements. This water crisis is not just a shortage — it's a looming catastrophe threatening millions, demanding immediate and decisive action before it's too late. According to a report by Niti Aayog, 20 Indian cities could face a severe water crisis by 2030. The report, as cited by the NDTV, highlights that by 2030, India's water demand will exceed the available supply by two times. Furthermore, the report claimed that 40% of India's population will likely have no access to drinking water by 2030. The report, as cited by the NDTV, highlights that Delhi, Gandhinagar, and Yamunanagar will face severe water crises in the future. Furthermore, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Indore, and Ratlam are also projected to experience water shortages by 2030. Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana are presented on the Niti Aayog list. In addition, Agra, Patiala, Hyderabad, and Chennai are other cities likely to see a water crisis by 2030. Jaipur, Ghaziabad, Vellore, Ajmer, Mohali and Bikaner are some of the cities. The report titled 'Composite Water Management Index', published by NITI Aayog in June 2018, mentions that India is undergoing the worst water crisis in its history and nearly 600 million people are facing high to extreme water stress. The report further mentions that India is placed at 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index, with nearly 70% of water being contaminated.


Hans India
29-07-2025
- Hans India
Collector urges volunteers to adopt families under P4 scheme
Paderu (ASR District): Alluri Sitarama Raju district collector AS Dinesh Kumar has called upon volunteers and mentors to come forward and adopt 'Bangaru Kutumbalu' (Golden Families) under the prestigious P4 (Public, Private, People Partnership) programme. Addressing a media conference at the District Collectorate on Monday, the collector said the innovative P4 scheme was launched in March by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with the goal of transforming lives through collective partnerships. A detailed survey was conducted from March 9 to 25 to identify underprivileged families eligible for support. The collector said that out of 352 village and ward secretariats in the district, a survey was completed in 144, identifying 92,683 Bangaru families with a total population of 3,13,041 members. He appealed to donors and citizens to adopt these families to support their social and economic development. He clarified that financial aid is not mandatory for mentors, and simply guiding and mentoring the families would be sufficient. The primary goal of the P4 scheme is to uplift families from poverty to prosperity, he stressed. He also mentioned that details of eligible Bangaru families have been uploaded online, making it possible for anyone across the country to adopt a family through the portal. The district administration will always be available to assist the mentors throughout their journey. Setting an example, the Collector himself adopted a farm labourer's family from Ainada village in Paderu mandal. Joint Collector Dr MJ Abhishek Gowda also adopted a family from Guthulaputtu village. Collector AS Dinesh Kumar also announced that the 'Aakanksha Hot' programme will be conducted from August 2 to 25 as part of the Sampoornta Abhiyaan Samman Samaroh initiative. He expressed happiness over the district being recognised as an Aspirational District under the NITI Aayog framework. He said that in the Rampachodavaram division, Gangavaram, Maredumilli, and Mylavaram blocks have been identified as aspirational blocks. The programme will focus on six key areas Health & Nutrition, Agriculture, Education, Model School Development, and Social Development. The collector informed that the district has received an incentive of Rs 10 crore under NITI Aayog's support. Branding coffee and other horticulture crops under the label 'Made in Araku' has opened up better income opportunities for tribal farmers, he noted. TRICOR Collector Sahith, Deputy Collector MS Lokeswara Rao, CPO PVL Prasad, and other officials were present at the media interaction.

The Hindu
28-07-2025
- The Hindu
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal