CDS (I) 2023 General Knowledge · Question 109 of 120

Correct — A, Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar. In the third edition of NITI Aayog's SDG India Index, covering 2020-21, the three lowest composite scores among the States were Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam, with Bihar at the very bottom. At the other end Kerala held first place with a composite score of 75, and Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu shared second with 74. The set in option (a) is the only one that names exactly those three; every other option swaps in a State that scored above them. Jharkhand's own movement in that edition is worth noting as evidence that the reading is right — it improved by three points to 56 from 53 in the previous edition, and still sat second from the bottom.

• (b)Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar — Substitutes Uttar Pradesh for Assam. Uttar Pradesh was among the weaker performers but did not fall into the bottom three in the 2020-21 edition.
• (c)Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam — Drops Jharkhand, which was in fact the second-lowest scorer in that edition, and brings in Uttar Pradesh in its place.
• (d)Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand — Odisha does not belong in the bottom group. The third State alongside Bihar and Jharkhand was Assam.

The SDG India Index scores every State and Union Territory out of 100 against the Sustainable Development Goals, using indicators drawn from official statistics, and then places them in bands — Aspirant from 0 to 49, Performer from 50 to 64, Front Runner from 65 to 99, and Achiever at 100. NITI Aayog publishes it with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the United Nations in India. Because the indicator basket and the goal coverage widen between editions, scores are meant to be read against the same edition, not across editions.

Items on ranking exercises are answered by set-matching rather than by recall of scores: find the option whose three names are exactly the bottom three. Two of the wrong options bring in Uttar Pradesh, which is the intuitive guess for a candidate reasoning from size and poverty rather than from the index, and one brings in Odisha. The composite is what is being ranked here, and a State can sit low on the composite while doing well on individual goals, so avoid arguing from a single indicator. A present-day caution: NITI Aayog has released later editions since, the 2023-24 index being the current one, and scores have moved upward across the board — so treat the 2020-21 ordering as a snapshot of that edition rather than as a standing description of these States.

• The SDG India Index 2020-21 was the third edition, released by NITI Aayog in June 2021.
• Bihar had the lowest composite score among the States, with Jharkhand and Assam next above it.
• Kerala retained first place with a composite score of 75; Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu shared second with 74.
• Jharkhand's composite improved to 56 from 53 in the previous edition and still left it second from the bottom.
• The index bands are Aspirant 0-49, Performer 50-64, Front Runner 65-99 and Achiever 100.

• Guessing from a State's size or reputation instead of the published ordering.
• Comparing a score from one edition with a score from another; the indicator basket changes.
• Assuming a low composite means weakness on every goal — the composite averages very uneven goal scores.

As a set-matching question on the top or bottom performers, or as a single question on which State topped a particular edition.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  In NITI Aayog's SDG India Index, a State with a composite score of 58 falls in which performance band?

  • (a)Aspirant
  • (b)Performer
  • (c)Front Runner
  • (d)Achiever

  Answer(b) Performer — the bands are Aspirant 0-49, Performer 50-64, Front Runner 65-99 and Achiever 100.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which State topped the composite SDG India Index 2020-21?

  • (a)Kerala
  • (b)Tamil Nadu
  • (c)Himachal Pradesh
  • (d)Goa

  Answer(a) Kerala — first with a composite score of 75, ahead of Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu who shared second on 74.