NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region on 7 July released the second edition of the North Eastern Region District SDG Index, prepared with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme. The 2023-24 index expands its coverage to 121 districts from 103 a year earlier and finds that 85 percent of the districts recorded overall improvement against the Sustainable Development Goals. Vice-Chairman Suman Bery, CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, DoNER Secretary Chanchal Kumar and UNDP Resident Representative Angela Lusigi jointly unveiled the report in New Delhi. Officials said the rankings will guide targeted investment and policy interventions in areas such as health, education and climate resilience across the North-East. In a related move, NITI Aayog commended 14 top-performing administrative blocks for their March-quarter results under the federal Aspirational Blocks Programme, underscoring the government’s drive to reduce intra-regional disparities and accelerate local development. Academic research is also reinforcing the emphasis on community-led approaches. A new Nagaland University study concludes that the long-term success of aquifer-recharge projects depends on farmer engagement and peer-supported governance, mirroring the participatory models advocated in the SDG and aspirational-district frameworks.