Assam ranked 18 in the overall rankings of the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) released on Sunday.
Kerala stands as the best governed state and Karnataka is in the fourth position in the country, according to the PAC report.
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.
The rankings of the states on the Public Affairs Index (PAI) this year are: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Nagaland, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Bihar.
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.
Founded in 1994 by renowned Indian economist and scholar late Samuel Paul, the PAC works to mobilise a demand for better governance in the country.
Criteria for the ranking are essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children as well as law and order.
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
