New Delhi, December 20
Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have emerged among the nine best-performing states and UTs in the Social Progress Index (SPI) for remarkable performance across components like personal freedom and choice, shelter, water and sanitation.
Aizawl, Solan, Shimla best districts
Himachal, Chandigarh among nine best-performing states/UTs
SPI assesses parameters like personal freedom, choice, shelter, water and sanitation
Aizawl, Solan and Shimla emerge as top 3 social progress districts
In access to basic knowledge, Punjab records highest component score of 62.92
Aizawl, Solan and Shimla are the top three social progress districts. The categorisation is part of the SPI for states and districts prepared by the Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative. It was released by Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.
The SPI assesses states and districts based on 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress — basic human needs, foundations of wellbeing and opportunity.
According to the report, Puducherry has the highest SPI score of 65.99, followed by Lakshadweep (65.89), Goa (65.53), Sikkim (65.10), Mizoram (64.19), Tamil Nadu (63.33), Himachal (63.28), Chandigarh (62.37) and Kerala (62.05). Jharkhand and Bihar scored the lowest, 43.95 and 44.47, respectively.
For the dimension of basic human needs, Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Chandigarh are the top four states/UTs with best performance in water and sanitation and shelter. For shelter and personal safety, Chandigarh and Nagaland emerged as the frontrunners, respectively.
Mizoram, HP, Ladakh, and Goa emerged top performers for the foundations of wellbeing. Within the dimension for the access to basic knowledge component, Punjab has the highest component score of 62.92, while Delhi has topped the list with a score of 71.30.
For health and wellness, Rajasthan has the highest component score of 73.74. For environmental quality, the top three states are Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. Tamil Nadu has achieved the highest component score of 72 for the opportunity dimension. Commenting on the report, Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, EAC-PM, said, “The GDP is an incomplete measure of progress, though not inaccurate. Endeavours such as the SPI that study social parameters, the methodologies and analysis of the data can be made more robust and reliable.”
