Stellar 4th in L&O, stupendous 7th in fiscal management, J&K ranked poor 21st in governance

Drabu subtly hits out at Mehbooba

Category Ranking
Economic Freedom 21
Fiscal Management 07
Transparency and Accountability 22
Environment 28
Delivery of Justice 21
Crime, Law & Order 04
Women & Children 23
Social Protection 11
Support to Human Development 17
Essential Infrastructure 23
Overall among 30 states 21


JAMMU: In a pleasant surprise, Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked stellar fourth best state in the country in dealing with crime and issues of law and order even as the state figured at an embarrassing twenty-first position among 30 states on hundred indicators of overall governance.

Left ruled Kerala stands as the best-governed state in the country followed by Tamil Nadu, according to the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).

The other consolation for Jammu and Kashmir is its stupendous performance in fiscal management which also came in handy for former Minister Haseeb Drabu to hit out at former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for sacking him. The state has been ranked seventh in fiscal management, for which Drabu staked claimed to the credit.

Responding to the PAI survey, Drabu said, in a tweet, “At last the reason for my sacking has been made public!,” Drabu wrote on twitter. “J&K improved its ranking from 11 (2016) to 7 (2018) among all the States in Fiscal Management. It was 24 in 2015 when I became FM.” On his unceremonious and sudden sacking by Mehbooba Mufti earlier this year, this is the first critical comment Drabu has publically made.

State’s fourth ranking in the crime and law and order clearly indicates that in absence of militancy Jammu and Kashmir could be most peaceful state in the country. The Public Affairs Index took following six parameters into consideration in rating the states for their management of crime and law and order: rapes, murders, dowry, custodial deaths, numbers of police firing and number of police personnel per lakh of total population.

In the law and order category, Nagaland has topped. Tamil Nadu and Goa fall between Nagaland and Jammu and Kashmir. Haryana is ranked 30 as worst performer.

While Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat are ranked third, fourth and fifth among the top five states delivering good governance, according to the report, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest on the PAI, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.

“Kerala has topped the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 as the best-governed state for the third consecutive year since 2016 among large states,” said Bengaluru-based PAC at an event in the city on Saturday evening to release its third annual PAI.


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. Founded in 1994 by renowned Indian economist and scholar late Samuel Paul, the think tank works to mobilise a demand for better governance in the country.

Among smaller states (with population less than two crore), Himachal Pradesh topped the list, followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura which figured among the top five states with good governance. Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked at the bottom of the index among small states.
A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, relying solely upon government data. The PAC said it was not keen to access private data sources that may be interpreted as “biased”. 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. The former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shantha Sinha, who was present on the occasion, delivered the Samuel Paul Memorial Lecture, drawing attention to children’s rights in the country.

“Children growing up in poverty cannot be blamed for their situation and it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that they are provided with opportunities for a better living,” Sinha said.