Kerala tops the list of “best governed states”

NEW DELHI: Public Affairs Centre released the Public Affairs Index-2020 (PAI-202) on Friday, October 30. The index put Kerala on top of the list in “Best Governed State of Country” whereas Uttar Pradesh landed at the bottom of the table. Chandigarh emerged on top in the category of Union Territories.

Four southern states namely, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, have topped the list of a total of 18 large states (states with population of more than 2 core) whereas Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha are at the bottom. In the small states category, Goa has topped the list followed by Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh. Delhi, Manipur and Uttarakhand are the worst performers in the list.

K Kasturirangan, Former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said that the states were ranked on the basis of composite analysis in the context of sustainable development. The performance of the states is examined on the basis of three pillars of equity, growth and sustainability.

The report also mentioned that in terms of equity, states lying at the bottom of the index, like Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha are the best performers. Interestingly, best governed states such as Kerala, Punjab and Maharashtra are the worst performers with respect to equity.