We are beyond the halfway mark in the journey towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (Agenda 2030), and it's a good time to reflect on the progress of the proposed objectives. For beginners, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 was established in 2015 as a successor to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). SDGs are a set of 17 goals with 169 targets as determined by each country. India, one of the SDGs' signatories, also established its targets for the achievement of these goals. According to the Sustainable Development Report 2024 (https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/rankings), based on the overall progress made, India ranks 109 out of 167 countries with a score of 63.99 on a scale of 100. According to the data, India has made consistent progress year-on-year towards achieving these goals. However, the performance is not uniform across 17 goals.
Of the 17 goals, India is on track or maintaining SDG achievement on only two goals: SDG 1 (Zero Poverty) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). And it is going in the reverse direction regarding the following two goals: SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Of the remaining goals, the country is moderately improving on the following goals: SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 15 (Life Below Water) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for Goals). The progress has stagnated on the remaining goals: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institution).
This article will focus on India's progress on SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages. It has 13 targets and 28 indicators in all. We will divide these into three categories: Progressing, Stagnating and Declining.
1. Progressing: India continues to make progress in reducing the mortality rates for maternal mortality, neonatal mortality and Under-5 mortality. The maternal mortality rate is 102.7 per 100,000 live births (2020), while the 2030 target is 70. Similarly, neo-nates who die before reaching 28 days from birth is 18.13 per 1,000 live births (2022), while the target is 12. The target for Under-5 mortality is 25 per 1,000 live births, whereas India stands at 29.07 (2022). One of the reasons for this is institutional deliveries and births attended by skilled health personnel.
2. Stagnant: Some of the well-earned progress on ending epidemics like HIV-Aids, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis B suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The sustained effort to trace, treat, and control the spread of these epidemics took a backseat during the Covid-19 years. Even the children’s immunization programs suffered, and there have been instances of missed dosages for existing patients and children, as well as the identification and protection of new cases and newborns. With the pandemic years behind us, the country can make progress on these. However, stagnating progress on traffic deaths is a worrying sign. At 14.6 deaths per 100,000 population (2021) is way above the long-term objective of 3.2. Another area where progress is not as desirable is air pollution. As of 2019, India recorded 139 deaths per 100,000 population due to household air pollution and ambient air pollution. The long-term objective of this parameter is zero deaths.
3. Declining: The only parameter where the country recorded a decline is Life expectancy at birth. While the progress has been slow since the start of SDGs in 2015, the country witnessed a sharp decline in 2021, the latest period for which the data is available. In 2020, the life expectancy at birth stood at 70.15 years, the maximum it has ever been. However, in 2021, it declined to 67.24 years, the lowest it has been since 2010. This decline can be attributed to additional deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, one can say that the pandemic was disastrous for health outcomes across the board, including life expectancy, setting back the hard work of decades.
The SDG Dashboard for India (https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/india) states that “Major challenges remain” in achieving the health targets; however, the country is progressing through targeted interventions. In the subsequent articles, I will focus on the policies of the Union and State governments to improve the health and well-being of Indians and achieve the intended targets under SDG3 of Agenda 2030.
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