High on sustainability quotient

MANIPUR, Sikkim and Tripura are the most environmentally sustainable states in India. Rich states with high gdp output like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana have fared poorly on the ecological front.
The findings are the outcome of a study conducted by Centre for Development Finance (cdf), a division of the Chennai based non-profit, Institute of Financial Management and Research. cdf evaluated all the states on the basis of judicious use of natural resources, impact on human health and stress on environment systems. Fifteen indicators such as air and water pollution and land use were used to derive the environment sustainability index (esi) of states that were then ranked accordingly from 1 to 28.
The relatively sustainable states, as per the esi, are clustered in the Himalayan region, northeast and eastern India. Less developed states like Orissa, Bihar and Assam also scored high on the sustainability index. cdf has however warned that these states could be under threat with increase in economic activity.
The esi data was prepared after collating published and available secondary data. Researchers say that the study will be a useful tool for the government to measure and calibrate sustainable development goals.