Performance of India on the Global SDG Index 2019

In the Global SDG Index, India ranks at number 115 out of 162 countries for which SDG Index for the year 2019 has been measured by the UN. The score of India is 61.1 as compared to the best performer, Denmark, which has a score of 85.2. The global index score of India at 61.1 is lower than the regional average score of 65.7. The performance of the countries in SDG index 2019 is not measured across all the 242 indicators but is limited to 84 indicators. The performance of India on the interconnected goals in relation to economic and industrial development and water pollution is summarised in Table 12.1.

A closer look at the indicators measured reveal that a very limited number of these focus on environmental quality. Even for those which are from the environmental domain, air quality and carbon emissions are the focus but water pollution and quality of water bodies are not included. The performance of India across indicators measured in 2019 reveal that though the progress of the country on the economic development front is on track, it is lagging on the environment front and much is desired to be achieved in that domain. The performance of the country on specific indicators like wastewater treatment, deaths from household and ambient pollution, ocean health index, falls under the ‘red’ category which means that major challenges still remain for the country. Even on related aspects like expenditure on Research and Development, which may help in dealing with water pollution issues, the performance of the country is rated ‘red.’ Thus, it can be concluded that though the trend for the country with respect to economic indicators is on track, it is lagging behind on the environment front, with major challenges still remaining to be fully addressed.

SDG Index India 2018–19 and 2019–20

The SDG India Index 2018 was the first effort by the Government of India to rank sub-national governments by computing composite index on SDGs. The Index was computed using 62 indicators covering 13 SDGs—Goals 12, 13, 14 and 17 could not be included owing to the lack of data at the sub-national level.

TABLE 12.1 Performance of India on the Global SDG Index 2019

Goal	Score	Trend	Specific Indicator for economic growth & water pollution	Rating
■ Q ~ *.UH ■ 0 ". ..i.: .-.i V:	58.8		Death rate from household and ambient pollution
	56.6		Wastewater treated (%)
	83.2		Adjusted growth rate
	28.7		Research and development expenditure
	94.5		No indicator focuses on water pollution
	51.2		Ocean Health Index -Clean waters
Notes
Trends			Rating
On track to achieve goal by 2030			SDG achieved
Core moderately increasing, insufficient to attain goal			Challenges remain
Score stagnating or increasing at less than 50% of required rate			Significant challenges remain
Score decreasing			Major challenges remain
Trend information unavailable			Information unavailable

Source: Adapted from Sachs et al. (2019).

The Index offered insights into the social, economic, and environmental status of the country and the states/UTs in their march towards achieving the SDGs.

The SDG India Index 2019 is based on 100 indicators derived from the National Indicator Framework, spread across the first 16 goals, with a qualitative assessment made for the Goal 17 . It tracks the progress of all the States and Union Territories (UTs) on the outcomes of interventions and schemes of the Government of India. The SDG India Index 2019—20 is intended to provide a holistic view of the country and its states and UTs to help leaders and change makers evaluate their performance on social, economic and environmental parameters. The relative performance of the states/UTs is tabulated below. The average score for India in the year 2018 is 57 which has improved to 60 in 2019. The best performer state is Kerala, a state which has consistently performed better on human development index (HDI) in India but not on economic front (Table 12.2).

A look at the performance of the states/UTs reveal that not all of them have improved their performance in 2019 as compared to 2018. There are some where the performance has gone down, e.g. Chhattisgarh. In the case of Gujarat and Maharashtra, the top two industrialised states, the performance has remained the same in 2018 and 2019, with a score of 64 and a rank of 9. The third industrialised state, Tamil Nadu, has marginally improved its score from 66 in 2018 to 67 in 2019 with a rank of 3. The performance of Gujarat as compared to that of India is represented in Figure 12.1.

On the economic indicator of Goal 8, the state scored better in 2018 than 2019 and its overall performance is better than the national performance. Similar is the case for Goal 6, the main goal dealing with water and sanitation. For good health and well-being, the performance of the state has improved in 2019. For the other two related goals—Goal 12 and Goal 14—details are not available for 2018 as these were not measured in the first round of SDG Index India in 2018.

Of the 100 indicators measured in 2019, only three can be directly linked to water pollution and these are: Percentage of 17 of the highly polluting category of industries complying with wastewater treatment as per CPCB norms, installed sewage treatment capacity as a proportion of sewage generation in urban areas and coastal water quality index. On the economic front, the two indicators which are directly related to the book are: Growth rate of per capita income and ease of doing business. A matrix on the performance of Gujarat, compared to that of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, along with the SDG targets is presented in the following matrix (Table 12.3).

The focus state Gujarat is performing well with respect to economic indicators but is lagging behind on the indicators representing industrial wastewater treatment and coastal water quality index. The economic growth in the state has been unable to de-couple itself from environmental degradation. This reinforces the findings observed in the chapters where we have discussed the industrial development and water pollution at the local level in a comprehensive manner.

TABLE 12.2 Comparative performance ofstates/UTs on SDG Index India 2019

Source: NITI Aayog, 2020.

FIGURE 12.1 Performance of Gujarat on SDGs as compared to India.

TABLE 12.3 Performance of Gujarat on SDGs as compared to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu

Source: NITI Aayog, 2020.

Are SDGs a myth?

In this book, we have studied industrial development and water pollution in India, with a focus on the state of Gujarat, in the light of SDGs to which the country is committed. The SDGs are a global agenda but must be achieved at the local level. In terms of economic growth and the increased share of industry in the GDP, the growth of MSMEs and industrial diversification, much has been achieved. However, when it comes to de-coupling economic growth from environmental degradation, there is still much to be achieved.

SDGs, therefore, are not a myth, but rather India’s quest to achieve them needs serious and sustained efforts especially in relation to environmental performance. It is critical that scarce water resources are not polluted so that economic growth could be sustained, not only in India but also in other similar countries, leading to the achievement of the SDGs.

References

Bansal, N & A. Solanki. (2015). Remedies and their effectiveness for ensuring environmental compliance: Evidences from Gujarat, India. Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 12(4), 17—23.

CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General). (2015). Report on Economic Sector. New Delhi: GAG.

DTE (Down to Earth). (2019). Investors accuse 22 Indian firms for hiding environmental impact. 20 June.

NITI Aayog. (2020). https://sdgindiaindex.niti.gov.in/#/ranking [Accessed on 6 March 2020].

Sachs, J., G. Schmidt-Traub, C. Kroll, G. Laforrtune, & G. Fuller. (2019). Sustainable Development Report. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable development Solutions Network (SDSN).