A recent report, ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Index 2023-24’, published by NITI Aayog, has exposed the Gujarat government’s claims about increase in mangrove cover in the state.

The state government recently claimed that the mangrove forests in Gujarat covered 397 sq km in 1991, and expanded to 1,175 sq km by 2021. By highlighting this increase, the government lauded its efforts in enhancing mangrove cover.

However, the NITI Aayog’s SDG report reveals that Gujarat is the only state among the coastal states of India where mangrove forests have decreased between 2020-21 and 2023-24. The area of mangrove forests in the state decreased by 0.17% during this period, which the state government concealed while patting its back.

The SDG report also highlights Gujarat’s poor performance on various fronts. Of the 16 indexes established by NITI Aayog, Gujarat performed  best in only two indexes in the country. In the remaining 14 indexes, other states have outperformed Gujarat, achieving top positions.

Despite performing well in ‘Good Health and Well-Being’ and ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, Gujarat has performed poorly in the ‘Life Below Water’ category. Despite having the longest coastline in the country, Gujarat has proven to be ineffective in coastal and aquaculture development.

West Bengal leads

NITI Aayog assessed coastal regions based on water quality, mangrove cover, pH levels, human activities, and aquaculture development, among other indexes, assigning scores out of 100.

SDG index score for ‘Goal 14: Life Below Water’ ranges between 5 and 100 for the nine coastal states.

West Bengal entered the category of Achiever (score of 100), while Gujarat fell into the Aspirant category (score less than 50). Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha were in the Front Runner category (score range between 65 and 100, excluding 100).

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