Telangana State slips to 11th rank in Niti Aayog growth goals

Hyderabad: The Telangana State has slipped from the third rank to 11th rank in the sustainable development goals (SDG) index and Dashboard 2020-21 as per the SDG index released by Niti Aayog on Thursday.

Telangana was adjudged at the third rank for two consecutive years 2018-19 and 2019-20 under the SDG. The southern state of Kerala retained the first rank and Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu secured second and third ranks respectively.

The latest edition of the SDG index covered 16 goals, 70 targets, and 115 indicators to finalise the ranking of the States and Union Territories in the development.

Officials maintained that Telangana had slipped to 11th rank from 3rd as the Niti Aayog increased the indicators to ascertain the performance of the States.

The T State could achieve the desired results in Goal -7 (affordable and clean energy) this year and failed to reach the targets in all other 16 goals which include zero hunger, no poverty, quality education, good health and wellbeing, decent work and economic growth, the report said.

In all, the Telangana had secured 69 composite SDG points and Niti Aayog adjudged the T State as one of the frontrunner States in the country. Interestingly, the report said that percentage of the population living below the national poverty line was 'Nill' and the percentage of beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act was 97.98 per cent.

The report also disclosed that Telangana was lagging many States in providing medical health facilities. The maternal mortality rate per one lakh population was reported as 63. The suicide rate per lakh population is 20.6 per cent which is also high.

Telangana was also maintaining the lowest 10 physicians, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 population in the country, it said. However, Telangana was one of the few States which reported the highest number of institutional deliveries in the country.