Kerala stands as the best-governed state in the country said the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).

About the index:

• 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.
• A total of 10 themes, 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, 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.
• This year’s PAI also included a separate index on the children of India, giving a measure of how child-friendly each of the states are. Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped the index on being the states to provide better living conditions for all children.

Rankings among states:

• Kerala has topped the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 as the best-governed state among large states for the third consecutive year since 2016.
• Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat followed Kerala among the top five states delivering good governance, according to the report.
• Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest on the PAI among the large states, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.
• Among smaller states (with population less than two crore), Himachal Pradesh topped the list, followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura which figured among the top five states with good governance.
• Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked at the bottom of the index among small states.