PUBLIC AFFAIRS INDEX: Among 18 big states, Haryana best governed

Chandigarh, October 15

Haryana has bagged the top position in the category of big states in the Public Affairs Index-2022.

The state has emerged at the forefront in social, economic and political justice themes. It has topped among the major states with a score of 0.6948, followed by Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Karnataka among many other states.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister ML Khattar said it was only because of his guidance that the state had been able to achieve this feat.

In PAI-2022, Sikkim has retained its position as the best-governed small state in India. The index, prepared by a Bengaluru-based non-profit think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC), was released on Friday. In the report, economic justice was measured on indicators such as labour productivity, assurance of standard of living to wage workers, public expenditure on development, coverage of social safety net, and employment opportunities.

Political justice was measured on indicators such as functional devolution to rural and urban local bodies, commitment to independent financial devolution to local bodies, incidence of crime efficiency of the police in mobilising case-related evidence and redress for undertrial population.

Similarly, social justice was measured on indicators such as learning outcomes for school-goers, safe drinking water and sanitation coverage, early childhood development outcomes, ease of logistics and trade, regularity and reliability of power supply.

Public Affairs Centre Director G Gurucharan said the report had been prepared transparently and fairly. He said in the report, the states had been divided into two categories — large and small — and the assessment was done based on the Centre’s data. Union Territories are not part of the report.

Haryana has emerged as the best governed state among the 18 big states, while Sikkim has topped in the category of the 10 smaller states.

He said in the PAI-2022, the analysis of governance experiences a shift from the framework of sustainable development goals to a constitutionally enshrined principle of justice.

In a press statement, the state government said it was constantly making plans to uplift the last-mile citizen while upholding the spirit of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya’s philosophy and by following the basic mantra of “Haryana Ek, Haryanvi Ek”.

The statement further said the CM firmly believes the government was making dedicated efforts to bring those at the bottom of the pyramid into the mainstream. Through the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Utthan Yojana, benefits are being ensured to each antyodaya family.

Report prepared fairly, transparently

Public Affairs Centre Director G Gurucharan said the report had been prepared transparently and fairly. He said in the report, the states had been divided into two categories — large and small — and the assessment was done based on the Centre’s data. Union Territories are not part of the report.