NEW DELHI: India has made progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the Economic Survey 2021-22, which cited an increase in the overall score of the NITI Aayog SDG India Index & Dashboard.
The importance of balancing rapid economic expansion with conservation, ecological security, and environmental sustainability was also stressed in the survey. “India has made progress toward achieving the SDGs with an increase in the NITI Aayog SDG India Index & Dashboard score to 66 in 2020-21, up from 60 in 2019-20 and 57 in 2018-19,” the report stated. The SDGs Index measures how much government and union territories have progressed in terms of social, economic, and environmental indicators.
According to the survey, India’s forest area has grown dramatically over the last decade, and it now ranks third internationally in terms of average annual net gain in forest area between 2010 and 2020. It also emphasised the importance of launching the ‘LIFE’ movement, which stands for Lifestyle for Environment and encourages aware and purposeful consumption rather than mindless and destructive consumption. India has also demonstrated substantial climate leadership on the international scene through the International Solar Alliance, according to the survey (ISA).