Himachal Pradesh has once again for the second consecutive year topped the list among smaller states with less than two crore in the country as the best-governed state.

However, among all the 30 states, large (18) and small states (12) in the country Himachal has ranked fourth, with Kerala as the best, followed by Tamil Naidu and Telangana in governance indicators.

This is revealed by the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 released recently by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC).

This is also the second year in a row that Himachal Pradesh has ranked fourth among all the states.

Second, among smaller states in 2016, it had ranked fifth among all states.
Among small states (population less than 2 core), other smaller states in the top five list following Himachal are Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura.

The survey was based on 10 themes, 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators.
Under the newly added children of India that includes themes early childhood, development, education, adolescence, protection, institutional structures, and governance Himachal was the best performer among small states, while amongst all states it was ranked second.

In terms of essential infrastructure Himachal slipped two positions from fifth position (consecutively in 2016 and 2017) to seventh position in 2018 among all states, while it was ranked third among small states with Goa and Delhi first and second respectively.

The focus subjects and indicators of essential infrastructure include power (transmission and distribution losses, per capita consumption of power, households with electricity), water (households with improved drinking water source, total irrigated area versus total agriculture area, legislation regarding rainwater harvesting, existence of water regulatory commission, existing ground water regulation Act), roads and communication and housing.

Third year in a row the state has ranked fourth in support and human development (education and health) among small states. Third among small states HP followed Sikkim and Delhi.

Slipping by one position in fiscal management, HP ranks 24th among all states and seventh among small states following Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttrakhand and Sikkim.

In social protection, HP has slipped eight positions by ranking fourteen as compared to 2017 when it was seventh among all the states, among small states it has ranked fifth following Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir.

Overall states, HP has ranked thirteen, slipping eight positions as compared to the previous year in women and children that covers Child (crime against children, percentage of child labour, percentage of beneficiaries under ICDS, child sex ratio, percentage of malnourished children) and Women (working women population ratio, institutional delivery and male female literacy gap).
While among small states it ranked eighth with Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh Sikkim, ahead of HP.

While HP ranked fourth among small states in environment indicators, however it ranked 13th among all states.