Focus: GS II: Polity and Governance
Why in News?
Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM) released the Social Progress Index (SPI) for states and districts of India.
Highlights of the report:
- Puducherry has the highest SPI score of 65.99 in the country, attributable to its remarkable performance across components like Personal Freedom and Choice, Shelter, and Water and Sanitation.
- Lakshadweep and Goa closely follow it with scores of 65.89 and 65.53, respectively. 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 with the best performance in Water and Sanitation and Shelter as compared to the other states and union territories.
- In addition, Goa has the highest component score for Water and Sanitation, followed by Kerala, scoring the highest across the Nutrition and Basic Medical Care component.
- For Shelter and Personal Safety, Chandigarh and Nagaland have emerged as the front-runners, respectively.
- Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Goa have emerged as the best-performing states 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 for Access to Information and Communication 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 belong to the northeast region, namely, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.
- Tamil Nadu has achieved the highest component score of 72.00 for the Opportunity dimension.
- Within this dimension, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the highest component score for Personal Rights, while Sikkim has topped the list for Inclusiveness.
- It is commendable to witness Puducherry attaining the highest scores across two components in this dimension, i.e., Personal Freedom and Choice and Access to Advanced Education.
Social Progress Index (SPI) Report
- SPI is a broad tool designed to provide a thorough assessment of the social progress the nation has made at the national and sub-national levels.
- The Social Progress Imperative, led by Michael Green, and the Institute for Competitiveness, under the direction of Dr. Amit Kapoor, prepared the report.
- It was mandated by Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.
Objectives
- The report attempts to present a systematic assessment of the social progress made in the nation at all levels, with state and district-level rankings and scorecards.
- The paper also discusses the accomplishments of the districts that scored highly on the index and how states contribute to societal advancement.
- An examination of India’s Aspirational Districts is presented in a separate section of the report, which helps readers gain a deeper knowledge of socioeconomic advancement at the local level.
- For policymakers to achieve sustained socio-economic growth in the upcoming years, the study will be a vital facilitator and tool.
Components of SPI
- Basic Human Needs: It assesses the performance of states and districts in terms of Nutrition and Basic Medical Care, Water and Sanitation, Personal Safety and Shelter.
- Foundations of Wellbeing: It evaluates the progress made by the country across the components of Access to Basic Knowledge, Access to Information and Communication, Health and Wellness, and Environmental Quality.
- Opportunity: It focuses on aspects of Personal Rights, Personal Freedom and Choice, Inclusiveness, and Access to Advanced Education.
