The State of India’s Environment 2023 tells the story of India’s environmental performance: where it has faltered, where it has managed to move towards a sustainable existence, and where, if any, are the gaps in data.
For the first time, the performance of India’s states have been analysed and ranked on four key parameters — environmental performance, agriculture, public health and public infrastructure and human development where Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat occupy top spots respectively.
The report also highlights key findings in five other important areas like illegal use of plastic, management of municipal solid waste, air pollution and health, climate disasters and extreme weather and internal displacement and migration.
“Three key things emerge out of this ranking of states. One, we have found that in each theme, even the top-ranked states are struggling in some of the crucial indicators. Two, none of the states perform well across all four themes that are critical for sustainable development. And three, small states like Goa and Sikkim seem to be performing well,” according to Down To Earth’s managing editor Richard Mahapatra.