Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked at the bottom among small states as best governed states in the country, according to Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).
Kerala stands as the best governed state in the country, according to the index.
Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura stood at third, fourth and fifth after Himachal Pradesh and Goa, among smaller states (with population less than two crore) among the top five states with good governance.
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, according to agencies reports.
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 index, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.
The think tank has undertaken the study across all the Indian states considering them across 10 themes such as essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children as well as law and order, according to reports.
The states were divided into two categories – large and small – on the basis of their population.
States with more than two crore population were considered large.
A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, relying solely upon government data.
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.