Kerala tops in Governance Index, Bihar ranks the lowest: Report

• Kerala stands as the best governed state in the country and Karnataka is in the fourth position, said the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).
• Released annually since 2016, the index examines governance performance in the states through a data-based framework, ranking them on social and economic development they are able to provide.
• The states were divided into two categories — large and small — on the basis of their population. States with more than two crore population were considered large.
• A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, relying solely upon government data.
• Large States: Kerala has topped the list, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.
• Smaller states (with population less than two crore ) : Himachal Pradesh topped the list followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura. Nagaland, Manipur and  Meghalaya were ranked at bottom of the index among small states.
• 2018 PAI also included separate index on children of India, giving measure of how childfriendly each of the states are. In this category of providing better living conditions
  for all children, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped the index.

Public Affairs Index (PAI):

• The index is released since in 2016 by Bengaluru base Public Affairs Centre (PAC), a not for profit think tank which aims to improve governance in India.
• It is based on 10 themes, 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators, relying solely upon government data.
• It covers wide range of themes such as support to human development, social protection, essential infrastructure, women and children, crime, law and order, delivery of justice, transparency and accountability, environment, fiscal management and economic freedom.

By: Ziyaur Rahman