India advances Sustainable Development Goals with clean energy, sanitation, and inclusive growth

New Delhi: India has made progress in environment sustainability and inclusive economic growth, advancing several sustainable development goals (SDGs) such as clean water and sanitation, climate action, affordable and clean energy, and decent work and economic growth, according to two reports released by the statistics ministry on Wednesday.

The country achieved 100% Open Defecation Free (ODF) districts by 2019-20. India's focus on gender-sensitive school sanitation has linked infrastructure improvements to equity and girls' education, with 97.2% of schools having gender-segregated toilets in 2023-24.

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Waste recycling infrastructure has expanded significantly, growing to 3,036 facilities in 2024-25 from 829 in 2019-20, "indicating a large-scale transition towards sustainable consumption and production", the statistics ministry said in a statement.

Over 70% of waste in smart cities is now scientifically processed, reducing reliance on landfills and promoting recycling, according to the report titled 'Planet in Focus: Advancing Environmental Sustainability under the SDGs'.

Another report 'Delivering Prosperity at Scale: India's Economic Transformation through the SDGs' highlighted that India is the fourth-largest wind energy producer globally. Renewable energy now accounts for 22.13% of total installed electricity generation capacity in 2024-25, up from 16.02% in 2015-16.

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Household consumption inequality has recorded a significant decline. The Gini coefficient of household expenditure, which measures the degree of inequality among all sections of consumers, dropped to 0.237 in 2023-24 from 0.283 in 2011-12 in rural areas. For urban areas, it decreased to 0.284 in 2023-24 from 0.363 in 2011-12.

Digital connectivity has also expanded widely, with over 99% of the population covered by mobile networks.

These reports are part of a new series of thematic, data-driven SDG bulletins aligned with the five foundational pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships.