New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS): The NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) will launch the first edition of North Eastern Region District Sustainable Development Goals Index Report and Dashboard 2021-22 on August 26.

The inaugural edition is the first of its kind region-wise district SDG index in the country and a milestone in the efforts towards localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 120 districts of the eight northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

The NER District SDG Index and Dashboard, a collaborative effort by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of DoNER, is aimed at measuring the performance of the districts of the eight northeastern states on the SDGs and their corresponding targets and ranks.

The index is based on NITI Aayog's SDG India Index - the principal and official tool for monitoring progress on the SDGs at the national, state and Union Territory levels and shares the common ethos of benchmarking performance and ranking on the SDGs to foster competition among the districts.

This index has been prepared on the baseline report 2021-22 by NITI Aayog, the nodal agency for SDGs in India, utilising 84 indicators covering 15 of the global goals across 50 targets.

The index will facilitate in identifying the crucial gaps and inform interventions to fast-track progress towards achieving the SDGs in the region and act as a ready reckoner for gauging the progress of the districts on the expansive set of the global goals on health, education, gender, economic growth, institutions, climate change and environment, among others.

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar and DoNER Minister G. Kishan Reddy will launch the index and dashboard in the presence of NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and other senior officials.