This year, Indore was crowned ‘India’s Cleanest City’ for the 4th year in a row during the Swacch Survekshan Awards 2020, and people in Mizoram and Punjab were said to be the happiest in India Happiness Report 2020. Now another annual report with a dedicated state ranking has been announced.
As per a report in HT, Kerala has been named the best-governed state in India, while Uttar Pradesh ranks at the bottom in a list released by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) as part of the Public Affairs Index-2020.
The PAC is a not-for-profit organization based in Bengaluru and is headed by former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan. They released this report saying that the states were ranked on “governance performance based on a composite index in the context of sustainable development.” They further add that the governance performance is analyzed in the context of “sustainable development defined by the three pillars of equity, growth, and sustainability.”
Here’s the complete list of the State Ranking for Best Governance:
All southern states proved to be the best performers in the governance, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka stood in the top 4 ranks respectively in the large state category (with the population more than 2 crores). Aparna Shrinivas, who is the researcher of the report, further explained, “Kerala ranked first in growth and sustainability but second in equity. For the study, 18 large States, 11 small States, and seven Union Territories were assessed.”
On the other hand, Goa, Meghalaya, and Himachal Pradesh performed best in the small state category (with a population less than 2 crores), NDTV reports. Chandigarh emerged as the best-governed Union Territory (UT), followed by Puducherry and Lakshadweep.
The worst performers who ended up scoring negative points are Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Bihar in the large state category. Bottom rankers in the small state category are Manipur, Delhi, and Uttarakhand.
The New Indian Express reports Aparna saying, “States were assessed based on the data they share on public domain and what has been submitted to the Central government. It includes health, governance, children, malnutrition, women and child welfare, infrastructure, access to resources, gender equality in political and administrative participation, and the Niti Aayog Report.”
The Hindu reports Kasturirangan saying, “Real obstacles stand in the path of a fuller understanding of persistent inter-generational deprivation and loss of opportunity challenges, that appear to reproduce themselves, especially in parts of some States.” He continued, “The evidence that PAI 2020 generates and the insights that it provides must compel us to reflect on the economic and social transition that is underway in India; and what its implications for future development praxis might be.”
How well did your state perform? Do you agree with the rankings? Tell us!
Read the official press release of the Public Affairs Index-2020 here.