TS, AP toppers in NITI Aayog SDG index

Hyderabad: Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have emerged as top performing states in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2019, which evaluates progress in social, economic and environmental terms, according to a report released on Monday.

According to the index, five states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, and Sikkim - moved up from the 'Performer' category to the 'Front Runner' category (65–99).

Kerala achieved the first rank in the composite SDG Index with a score of 70, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 69.

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu ranked at the third position with the score of 67. Bihar, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh are the worst performing states in this year's index for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"The United Nations' SDG target of 2030 can never be met without India... We are fully committed to achieving UN's SDG target," NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said at the launch of SDG India Index 2019.