What was Madhya Pradesh's composite SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) score in the SDG India Index 3.0 in 2020 ?
- (a)56
- (b)58
- (c)60
- (d)62
Correct — D, 62. The third edition of NITI Aayog's SDG India Index — published as the 'SDG India Index 2020-21' and released in June 2021 — gave Madhya Pradesh a composite score of 62 on the 0-100 scale. That places the state in the 'Performer' band (50-64), three points short of the 'Front Runner' cut-off of 65. For scale, India's own composite score in that edition was 66, up from 60 the year before, and Kerala topped the table at 75.
- (a)56 — Not MP's figure. 56 would still sit in the 'Performer' band, but the index recorded a higher composite score for Madhya Pradesh in this edition.
- (b)58 — Not MP's figure — it is simply a nearby Performer-band number with no basis in the 2020-21 index for Madhya Pradesh.
- (c)60 — A tempting number because 60 was India's national composite score in the previous edition (2019-20), from which the country rose to 66 in 2020-21. It is a national figure, not Madhya Pradesh's state score.
The SDG India Index is NITI Aayog's tool for measuring how far every State and Union Territory has travelled towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. It is built with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) and the United Nations in India. Each State/UT gets a goal-wise score and a single composite score on a 0-100 scale, where 100 means the 2030 target has been met. The score decides the State's category: Aspirant (0-49), Performer (50-64), Front Runner (65-99) or Achiever (100).
The question's phrasing mixes two labels — 'Index 3.0' and 'in 2020'. The third edition is officially the SDG India Index 2020-21 (released June 2021), and that is the edition whose numbers MPPSC wants. The safest way to hold the fact is as a triad: Madhya Pradesh 62 (Performer) — India 66 — Kerala 75 (top). Once the band boundaries are memorised, a score question and a category question both become answerable.
- SDG India Index — designed by NITI Aayog with MoSPI and the United Nations in India; every State/UT scored 0-100
- Edition 3.0 = 'SDG India Index 2020-21', released June 2021; 115 indicators, 70 targets, 16 of the 17 goals
- Categories by score: Aspirant 0-49, Performer 50-64, Front Runner 65-99, Achiever 100
- Madhya Pradesh's composite score in that edition: 62 — a 'Performer'
- India's composite score rose from 60 (2019-20) to 66 (2020-21); Kerala topped the States with 75, and Bihar was the lowest-scoring State
India's own composite score in the same edition was 66 (up from 60 in 2019-20). MP at 62 is a 'Performer', just below the Front Runner line.
- Reading '3.0 in 2020' as a calendar-2020 report — the third edition is the SDG India Index 2020-21, released in June 2021
- Quoting India's national composite score (66) when the question asks for a State's score
- Getting the band edges wrong — 65 begins 'Front Runner', so 62 is a Performer, not a Front Runner
MPPSC asks for the exact number or the exact band definition from a named edition of the index; UPSC stays conceptual — who runs the SDG framework, the 2030 deadline, and which body publishes the Indian index.
Consider the following statements: 1. The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'. 2. The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(b) 2 only — the SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 with a 2030 deadline, not proposed by the Club of Rome in 1972
Same framework: UPSC tests what the SDGs are and their 2030 horizon — the base on which the SDG India Index scores States.
According to NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2020, how are the different categories of States’ performance in Sustainable Development Goals defined on the basis of index score range?
- (a) Aspirant : 100, Performer : 65 – 99, Front-runner : 50 – 64, Achiever : 0 – 49
- (b) Aspirant : 0 – 49, Performer : 50 – 64, Front-runner : 65 – 99, Achiever : 100
- (c) Aspirant : 50 – 64, Performer : 65 – 99, Front-runner : 0 – 49, Achiever : 100
- (d) Aspirant : 65 – 99, Performer : 50 – 64, Front-runner : 0 – 49, Achiever : 100
Answer(b) Aspirant : 0 – 49, Performer : 50 – 64, Front-runner : 65 – 99, Achiever : 100
The same index and the same edition — 2024 asked for the score bands, 2025 asked which band MP's score of 62 falls in.
According to SDG India Index 2018, SDG-1, SDG-2 and SDG-9 represent respectively:
- (a) No poverty; Zero hunger; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- (b) No poverty; Quality education; Life on land
- (c) Clean water and sanitation; Climate action; Sustainable cities and communities
- (d) Gender equality; Climate action; Zero hunger
Answer(a) No poverty; Zero hunger; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Same source document — MPPSC repeatedly mines the SDG India Index, here for goal numbering rather than for a score.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In NITI Aayog's SDG India Index, a State with a composite score of 68 would be classified as:
- (a)Aspirant
- (b)Performer
- (c)Front Runner
- (d)Achiever
Answer(c) Front Runner — the band runs from 65 to 99.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The SDG India Index is prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with:
- (a)The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and the United Nations in India
- (b)The Reserve Bank of India and the World Bank
- (c)The Ministry of Finance and the Asian Development Bank
- (d)The Election Commission and UNESCO
Answer(a) MoSPI and the United Nations in India.