New Delhi: According to the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre here on Friday, Kerala has been named the best-governed state in the country while Uttar Pradesh was placed at the bottom of the list. In its annual report released on Friday, the city-based not-for-profit organisation, , headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K Kasturirangan, said the states were ranked on governance performance based on a composite index in the context of sustainable development. Four southern states, Kerala (1.388 PAI Index point), Tamil Nadu (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531), and Karnataka (0.468) stood in the first four ranks in the large state category in terms of governance, it said. Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar were at the bottom of the ranking, scoring negative points in the category. They got - 1.461, -1.201 and -1.158 points respectively.

Goa ranks first in the small scale category

in the small state category, Goa was ranked first with 1.745 points, followed by Meghalaya (0.797) and Himachal Pradesh (0.725). Worst performers who scored negative points are Manipur (-0.363), Delhi (-0.289), and Uttarakhand (-0.277). In the list of Union Territories, Chandigarh emerged the best governed UT with 1.05 PAI points, followed by Puducherry (0.52) and Lakshadweep (0.003). Dadar and Nagar Haveli (-0.69), Andaman, Jammu, and Kashmir (-0.50), and Nicobar (-0.30) were the least performers. Chandigarh best governed Union Territory Chandigarh emerged the best-governed union territory in the category of UTs with 1.05 PAI points, followed by Puducherry (0.52) and Lakshadweep (0.003). Dadar and Nagar Haveli (-0.69), Andaman, Jammu, and Kashmir (-0.50), and Nicobar (-0.30) were the least performers. According to the PAC, the governance performance is analysed in the context of sustainable development defined by three pillars of equity, growth, and sustainability.