8 Manipur distts top SDG 16 chart on peace, justice

Eight of the top 20 districts in the Northeast that are the best performers on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 — peace, justice and strong institutions — are in Manipur, a NITI Aayog report on the region said on Monday.

- Vrinda Tulsian [e-mail]

The Manipur districts of Kamjong, Noney, and Pherzawl top the NER District SDG Index 2023-24 report, with scores of 97, 96, and 93, respectively. Other Manipur districts among the top performers include Kangpokpi (90), Tengnoupal (86), Churachandpur (84), Ukhrul (84), and Tamenglong (83). All eight districts are categorised as frontrunners, with scores ranging between 65 and 99.

To be sure, data on key crime-related indicators such as murders and crimes against children were sourced from the National Crime Records Bureau's 2022 report, the last that has been released. Manipur has been roiled by ethnic violence since May 2023 that first began in Churachandpur district.

According to the think tank's classification, there are 131 districts across eight northeastern states. However, 121 districts were taken into consideration. All 16 districts of Manipur were included in the assessment.