Assessing India’s Progress Toward Sustainable Development Goals: State-wise Performance, Challenges, and Policy Implications

This paper evaluates the performance of Indian States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, using State-wise data for two periods: 2015-16 and 2020-21. Given the variations in measurement units and socio-economic parameters across states, the study constructs a composite SDG performance index to assess progress and examine its association with economic growth, measured by net per capita income. The findings indicate that Goa leads in SDG performance, followed by several South Indian States, whereas North-Eastern States, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan require significant improvements to meet the 2030 targets. A strong positive correlation between per capita income and SDG performance suggests that higher income levels enable greater investments in essential services such as education, healthcare, water, sanitation, and employment. Strengthening the state governments’ revenues can further enhance these services and expand social welfare programs. Additionally, ensuring the transparent and efficient implementation of welfare schemes is crucial to maximising their impact, preventing financial leakages, and fostering inclusive and sustainable development across all Indian States.