~ by Trinanjan Chakraborty
The 2020 Public Affairs Index (PAI), released by the Bangalore based Public Affairs Center showed that Kerala was ranked at no 1 among large states in terms of governance performance for the period 2019-20. Kerala had an index score of 1.388 and was followed by its 3 southern neighbors, Tamil Nadu (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531) and Karnataka (0.468) in the rankings for big states. This is the 4th year in a row that Kerala has finished top of the PAI standings. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, was ranked bottom among large states with an index score of -1.461. Odisha (-1.201) and Bihar (-1.158) rounded off the bottom 3.
Among small states, Goa was ranked first with an index score of 1.745 points, followed by Meghalaya (0.797) and Himachal Pradesh (0.725). The worst performing small states were: Manipur (-0.363), Delhi (-0.289) and Uttarakhand (-0.277). Chandigarh (1.05) was rated the best performing union territory, followed by Puducherry (0.52) and Lakshwadeep (0.003). The bottom 3 UTs were: Dadra & Nagar Haveli (-0.69), Jammu & Kashmir (-0.50) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (-0.30). The full rankings are given below:
The Public Affairs Index (PAI) is a unique statistical tool developed to measure governance performance in the context of sustainable development, defined on the 3 pillars of equity, growth and sustainability. The index is released by the Public Affairs Centre, a non-profit thinktank headed by the former ISRO chief K. Kasturirangan.
Indian Political Debate 