Guwahati: Mizoram has emerged as the frontrunner in the latest North Eastern Region SDG Index 2023-24, with its district Hnahthial securing the highest score, 81.43 points, among 121 districts assessed.
Assam, however, failed to place any of its districts in the top ten, with its highest-ranked district, Dibrugarh, landing in the 17th position.
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NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the Ministry of DoNER and UNDP, released the report to measure district-level progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Northeast. The index includes 121 of the region’s 131 districts, using 84 indicators drawn from both central and state data sources.
The top ten districts in the region include Hnahthial, Champai, and Kolasib (all in Mizoram); Gomati, West Tripura, and South Tripura (Tripura); Mokokchung, Kohima, and Dimapur (Nagaland); and Gangtok (Sikkim).
Assam’s overall performance remains weak. Dibrugarh scored 74.29 points, followed by Sivasagar at 74 points (ranked 20th) and Jorhat at 73.79 points (21st). Several districts, including South Salmara-Mankachar (ranked 118), West Karbi Anglong (108), and Udalguri (102), feature near the bottom of the list. Notably, no district from Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, or Arunachal Pradesh achieved a score in the Achiever (50–64) or Aspirant (0–49) categories, while all districts in Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim qualified as Front Runners (65–99 points).
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The report attributes Assam’s and several other states’ underperformance to the region’s challenging geography—including mountainous terrain, dense forests, and remote border locations—which hampers infrastructure development and industrial growth. These limitations particularly affect SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), as well as employment opportunities in modern sectors.
These structural issues, the report noted, have a ripple effect on other goals, especially SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 4 (Quality Education). States like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland still show considerable room for improvement in these areas.
Education remains a major concern across the region. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 found that 66% of the districts in the Northeast reported below-average proficiency among grade 8 students, compared to the national average of 77%. Additionally, 100 districts recorded secondary school dropout rates above the national average of 14.1%, according to UDISE 2023–24 data. School infrastructure continues to demand urgent attention.
On the environmental front, the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 recorded forest cover loss in 72 districts since the last survey in 2021. Despite improvements in clean cooking fuel usage, three-fourths of the districts still lag behind the national average in household access.
The 2023-24 SDG Index uses a combination of 84 indicators, with data sourced from 41 central ministries/departments and 43 state agencies, to monitor the region’s advancement toward the 17 SDG targets.