India showcased its progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the global stage with the presentation of its third Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) held in New York. The report, delivered by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery on July 23, reaffirmed India’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda and highlighted the country’s transformation of the SDGs into a national movement over the past decade.
Speaking at the ministerial segment of the HLPF, convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Bery described the review as a moment to reflect on the country’s development strategy that integrates economic growth, targeted welfare schemes, and strong grassroots engagement. “It was an important opportunity to share with the world the combination of economic growth, investment in infrastructure, efficient delivery of targeted schemes, and local commitment that had transformed the Sustainable Development Goals into a national movement in less than a decade,” he said.
The VNR 2025, prepared under the stewardship of NITI Aayog, adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. It was developed through a wide-ranging consultative process involving state and Union Territory governments, civil society organisations, development partners, and the private sector. UNDP also played a key role in supporting localisation efforts by helping establish SDG Coordination and Acceleration Centres across various states and UTs.
The report outlines India’s achievements over the past ten years across a wide spectrum of development indicators. According to the document, approximately 248 million people have been lifted out of multidimensional poverty. The PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, credited with ensuring food security for millions during and after the pandemic, features prominently among key interventions.
Major health and nutrition initiatives such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and Ayushman Bharat have widened access to nutrition and healthcare, while India’s transition to clean energy has been bolstered by missions such as the National Green Hydrogen Mission, PM-KUSUM, and PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
The review also reflects India’s emergence as a global innovation hub, now ranking as the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem. Infrastructure development under programmes like PM Gati Shakti, Make in India, and the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme is identified as central to the country’s economic strategy.
India’s digital public infrastructure, rooted in the Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) trinity, is highlighted as a global model for inclusive and transparent service delivery. Instruments such as the SDG India Index, the North-Eastern Region District SDG Index, and the National Multidimensional Poverty Index reflect the country’s focus on data-driven governance.
In efforts to bridge regional disparities, programmes such as the Aspirational Districts Programme and the Aspirational Blocks Programme continue to target the saturation of essential government services at the last mile.
The VNR also underlines India’s increasing contribution to South-South Cooperation, citing examples of institutional and technical support extended to fellow developing nations.
India’s SDG strategy is closely aligned with its broader development vision, Viksit Bharat @2047, which envisions a fully developed nation by the time it marks 100 years of independence.