NITI Aayog Released 2nd Edition of NER District SDG Index (2023-24); Mizoram’s Hnahthial district topped

In July 2025, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released the 2nd edition of the North Eastern Region (NER) District Sustainable Development Index (SDG) Report (2023-24). Hnahthial district in Mizoram emerged as the top-performing district with a score of 81.43, followed by Champhai district in Mizoram with 79.86, and Gomati district in Tripura with 78.79.

• The report was launched by Suman Bery, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog; B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of NITI Aayog; Chanchal Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER); and Dr. Angela Lusigi, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in India, in the presence of Rajib Kumar Sen, Programme Director (SDGs) at NITI Aayog, along with other senior officials.

About NER District SDG Index 2023-24:

i.The index is developed by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the MDoNER with technical support from UNDP.

• The NER District SDG 2.0 is based on the momentum of the inaugural edition of index released on August 26, 2021, measures the performance of districts across 8 NE states on the SDGs.

ii.The index follows the same methodology adopted by the NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index to meet the targets of SDG 2030.

iii.Some of the key objectives of the NER District SDG Index 2.0 are:

• To rank districts of 8 NER states based on their relative performance across the 15 SDGs (except Goal 14 which is not applicable and Goal 17 for its limited applicability at the district level).

iv.The latest edition of the index has covered 121 out of 131 (92%) districts of the NER compared to 103 of 120 districts covered in previous edition.

iv.The index has 84 indicators, of which, data for 41 indicators is sourced from various ministries/departments of Government of India (GoI).

• While, data for the remaining 43 indicators is sourced from state governments.

v.The index has categorised districts into 4 different categories:

• Achiever: Score equals 100, which indicate district has achieved the targets set for identified indicators;
• Front Runner: Score between 65 and 99 (excluding 100);
• Performer: Score between 50 and 65 (excluding 65);
• Aspirant: Score < 50.

vi.Out of 121 districts covered in the index, 103 are in the ‘Front Runner’ category, and 18 districts are in the ‘Performer’ category in the composite score and ranking.

Top 5 Districts in NER District SDG Index 2023-24:

Key Findings:

i.The 2023-24 index noted improvement in the overall performance of districts as 85% of the districts of the NER are in the Front Runner category, against the previous edition, where 62% of the districts were in this category.

ii.As per NITI Aayog’s index, Hnahthial district from Mizoram (overall score of 81.43) emerged as the highest-scoring district in the entire NER.

• While Arunachal Pradesh (AR)’s Longding district with the score of 58.71, ranked as the lowest-scoring district in the entire region; followed by Kamle from AR (score 58.86) and Pherzawl from Manipur (59.71).

iii.The index showed that all districts in Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura have been placed in the Front Runner category, with no districts falling in the Aspirant or Achiever categories.

iv.The index revealed that Sikkim has the narrowest range (5.5 points) in terms of the score of the highest and lowest district which reflects the most consistent performance across its districts.

• While, Nagaland shows the widest range (15.07 points between its highest and lowest performing districts) which indicates the significant intra-state disparity.

v.Tripura has some of the highest-scoring districts with minimum intra-state variation (6.5 points).

• Also, Mizoram and Nagaland have some of the highest-scoring districts but also show variation (ranges of 13.72 and 15.07, respectively).

Goal-wise Top 3 Districts:

i.SDG 1 (No Poverty): Mokokchung (Nagaland); Gangtok (Sikkim); and Thoubal (Manipur).

ii.SDG-2 (Zero Hunger): Champhai (Mizoram); Phek (Nagaland); Kakching (Manipur); and South Tripura (Tripura).

iii.SDG-3 (Good Health & Well Being): Upper Siang (AR); East Siang (AR) and West Siang (AR).

iv.Goal-4 (Quality Education): West Tripura (Tripura); Dimapur (Nagaland) and Gangtok (Sikkim).

v.SDG-5 (Gender Equality): Saitual (Mizoram); Wokha (Nagaland) and Longleng (Nagaland).

vi.SDG-6 (Clean Water & Sanitation): Saitual (Mizoram); Serchhip (Mizoram); and Champhai (Mizoram)

vii.SDG-7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): Saitual (Mizoram); Wokha (Nagaland); Mokokchung (Nagaland) and Longleng (Nagaland).

viii.SDG-8 (Decent work and Economic Growth): Lower Siang (AR); Kamrup Metropolitan (Assam) and Lower Subansiri (AR).

ix.SDG -9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure): Hnahthial (Mizoram); Champhai (Mizoram) and West Tripura (Tripura).

x.SDG-10 (Reduced Inequality):  South West Khasi Hills (Meghalaya); Pakke Kessang (AR); and East Kameng (AR).

xi.SDG-11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities):  Not considered in the composite ranking.

xii.SDG -12 (Responsible Consumption & Production): South Tripura (Tripura); Unakoti (Tripura) and Gomati (Tripura).

xiii.SDG-13(Climate Action): Hnahthial (Mizoram); Mokokchung (Nagaland) and Khawzawl (Mizoram).

xiv.SDG-15 (Life on land): Hnahthial (Mizoram); Lower Dibang Valley (AR); and Saitual (Mizoram)

xv.SDG-16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Kamjong (Manipur); Hnahthial (Mizoram); and Pherzawl (Manipur).

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About National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog):
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – B.V.R. Subrahmanyam
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi
Established- 2015