India's social protection coverage, renewables capacity nearly triples in a decade: Ministry
New Delhi, June 29
India has significant progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goal indicators, with social protection coverage and installed renewable energy generating capacity in the country nearly tripling in ten years, an official statement said on Monday.
The data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on SDG indicators showed that the proportion of the population covered by social protection systems rose from 22 per cent in 2016 to 65.3 per cent in 2026.
Plant genetic resources conserved increased from 4,32,564 in 2014-15 to 4,91,864 in 2025-26.
Meanwhile, animal genetic resources rose from 1,40,364 to 3,61,794 and fish genetic resources more than doubled from 47 to 105.
During this period, installed renewable energy generating capacity in the country nearly tripled from 64.04 watts per capita in 2014-15 to 193.36 watts per capita.
Maternal Mortality Ratio declined from 122 per 1 lakh live births during 2015-17 to 87 during 2022-24.
The Sex Ratio at Birth (in Per 1,000 male live births) improved from 896 females per 1,000 males in 2015-17 to 918 in 2022-24.
The total number of internet subscriptions more than tripled from 302.36 million in 2015 to 969.10 million in 2025.
The area of Ramsar sites as a percentage of total wetland area increased from 4.15 per cent in 2016 to 8.66 per cent in 2026. The number of waste recycling plants installed climbed from 829 in 2019-20 to 3,236 in 2025-26 .
The unemployment rate declined from 6.1 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.1 per cent in 2025.
The ratio of female to male workers employed as Professionals and Technical Workers increased from 48.7 per cent in 2023-24 to 51.3 per cent in 2025.
The National Indicator Framework (NIF), 2026 released on the occasion of the 20th Statistics Day consists of 277 national SDG indicators, covering all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm cautiously optimistic. The internet subscriptions tripling to 969 million is impressive, but we need to check if this translates to actual digital literacy. My own grandmother got a smartphone last year but can't use it properly. Still, progress is progress. The female-to-male professional ratio improving to 51.3% gives me hope. 🚺
Great stats, but I'm a bit skeptical about the unemployment rate dropping to 3.1%. In my town, many youth are still struggling to find jobs. Maybe the definition of 'employed' has changed. The renewable energy numbers are fantastic though - 193 watts per capita is a significant jump. Need to see more action in waste management given the 3,236 recycling plants now. Overall, direction is right, but ground reality needs more scrutiny.
Impressive progress! As an international observer, I'm particularly struck by the maternal mortality ratio dropping from 122 to 87 per 100,000 live births - that's a 29% reduction in a few years. The sex ratio at birth improving to 918 females per 1,000 males is also encouraging. India is clearly committed to the SDGs. Kudos to the Ministry for transparent data sharing. 🌍
This is good, but let's not get too excited. Social protection coverage at 65% still means 35% of our population is uncovered - that's over 48 crore people! Renewable energy tripling is great, but we still rely heavily on coal. I appreciate the effort, but we need to accelerate. Also, the female-to-male worker ratio at 51.3% is still not parity. Let's keep pushing, India! ✊
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