🌍 India’s Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: A Moment to Reflect, A Call to Act

India has, for the first time, ranked among the top 100 countries in the latest SDG report by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. This milestone reflects commendable strides in areas like poverty alleviation and expanding access to electricity.

Key achievements include:

✅ Halving poverty rates over the last decade — from 22% in 2012 to ~12% in 2023.

✅ Major progress on access to electricity and renewable energy, making India the fourth-largest renewable capacity holder globally.

✅ Significant advances in digital and financial inclusion, with Jan Dhan accounts and UPI adoption improving access and efficiency.

Yet, this progress must not lead to complacency. As the editorial insightfully points out, India’s journey towards achieving all 17 SDGs is far from over:

⚠️ Malnutrition remains a critical challenge, with stunting affecting 35% of children and only marginal improvement in wasting.

⚠️ A growing “double burden” of undernutrition and rising obesity is fueling non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

⚠️ Regional disparities persist, especially in rural and remote areas lacking consistent electricity supply and digital literacy.

To build on recent successes, India must:

🔹 Adopt multidimensional poverty measurements that capture not just income but also health, education, and access to services.

🔹 Ensure unbiased, transparent data collection free from political interference.

🔹 Intensify focus on nutrition, especially maternal and child health, and address rising lifestyle diseases.

This is a pivotal moment. While the top-100 ranking is encouraging, sustainable and equitable growth requires continuous, focused efforts across sectors.

🤝 Let’s use this opportunity to accelerate our collective commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals — ensuring no one is left behind.

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