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85% districts in North East achieve Front Runner status in SDGs: NITI Aayog
'This signifies the impact of national flagship schemes, coupled with the localisation efforts of the states and the saturation of benefits through initiatives like the Aspirational Districts Programme,' noted NITI Aayog in its latest 'North Eastern 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 a district has a score between 50 and 64.9, it is categorised as 'Performer'.
Although the share of 'Front Runner' districts improved under all SDGs, the share of 'Front Runner' districts in three SDGs—namely SDG-7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG-10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG-12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)—has decreased in 2023-24 compared to 2021-22.
The report also showed that all districts in three north-eastern states—Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura—fell under the 'Front Runner' category.
The index is a joint effort of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and NITI Aayog, with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The index is the first of its kind progress-tracking tool for the north-eastern region, as it provides a granular, district-level assessment of progress made on the 17 SDGs.
The first edition of the NER District SDG Index was released in August 2021. While the first edition of the index covered 103 out of 120 (86 per cent) districts of the North Eastern Region, this edition covers 121 out of 131 (92 per cent) districts. The current edition of the index includes 84 indicators. Of these, data for 41 indicators is from various ministries/departments of the Union Government, and data for 43 indicators is from state sources.
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