Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka claim top slots in first governance index of Modi 2.0

Yet to be announced, Good Governance Index is meant to gauge performance of states on parameters such as health, education, infrastructure & economic growth.

File photo | PM Narendra Modi | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

New Delhi: South Indian states Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are among the states that have scored the highest points on several parameters in the Narendra Modi government’s first Good Governance Index (GGI).

While the GGI is yet to be announced by the central government, a report published in The Economic Times says Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat claim the top six ranks among the bigger states.

The index is meant to gauge the performance of states on parameters such as health, education, infrastructure, economic growth, access to legal aid, environmental stability etc.

Odisha, Bihar, Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand have fared the worst on various parameters, according to the report.

As far as the Northeastern and hill states are concerned, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tripura are said to be leading. Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the rankings, while the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir fares average on these parameters, securing a middle rank.

Among the union territories, Puducherry and Chandigarh are the best performing regions while Lakshwadeep is the worst.

To achieve ‘maximum governance’

The idea of having a GGI was conceptualised during the Modi government’s first term in order to rate states on the basis of their performance on the above-mentioned parameters.

The Sectoral Group of Secretaries on Governance had mooted the idea in a bid to ensure that states are able to achieve “maximum governance”.

The index was part of a slew of governance reforms brought about by the first Modi government, including abolishing over 100 obsolete laws and launching PRAGATI — a platform meant to monitor and review important programmes and projects of the central and state governments and ensure their implementation in a time-bound manner.