Along with all countries, India too collectively adopted the SDGs the UN Summit of September 2015. In India, the commitment towards SDGs is central to its own development as sustainability is ingrained in India’s ethos and in line with it. Even prior to 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined the slogan: ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ that is, ‘along with all, for the development of all’ which embodies the SDGs’ ultimate goal of ‘leaving no one behind’. As India readies to celebrate its 75th anniversary of Independence in 2022, the Government presented a vision of ‘’New India’’ for 2017-2022 that prioritized high-end manufacturing, infrastructure, effective healthcare policies, information technology with the goals of a ‘New India’ that is free of poverty, corruption, terrorism, communalism, casteism and ecological degradation, and unity of the entire country through good governance and technology. This paper attempts to highlight the country’s SDG progress and examines the main challenges in implementing the SDGs at national and subnational levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to timelines and milestones for achieving the SDGs and it is thus, imperative to accelerate our efforts for achieving the targets of the Agenda 2030. In this context, subregional and regional cooperation efforts can greatly complement national strategies for achieving the SDGs and broader regional level coherence.

JEL Code(s): Q01, O11, O20, F55, Q56
Key words: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Inclusive growth, Regional Cooperation, South Asia, India