As per SDG India Index and Dashboard 2020-21 published by the NITI Aayog, which one of the following states was NOT among the top five States in their performance regarding SDGs in the country?

The correct answer is A) Gujarat. In the SDG India Index 2020-21, Kerala topped the list, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Goa in the top five. Gujarat was placed well below that group, so it is the state that was not among the top five.

The index is a composite score across 16 SDGs using about 115 indicators, with states compared against a baseline and ranked by score. Each option is a checkable fact, and the trap is assuming that a state strong on economic growth or governance rankings must also lead on SDG outcomes.

• B) Andhra Pradesh was among the top five in this edition, so it is wrong.
• C) Goa also made the top five, so it is wrong.
• D) Tamil Nadu was among the top five, so it is wrong.

Mains angle: these rankings show how states perform on health, education and poverty, and they feed into debates on cooperative federalism and outcome-based budgeting. Since later editions of the index have different scores and ranks, always check the exact edition named in the question.

Trap: candidates pick a state they associate with strong economic performance and forget that SDG rankings measure outcomes across social and environmental goals.