Summary:
on SaturdayBENGALURU: Kerala stands the best governed state in the country and Karnataka is on the fourth position, according to the Public Affairs Index 2018, released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC) here. "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. "The index provides a multi-dimensional and comprehensive matrix that attempts to capture the complexities of governing the plural and diverse people of this sub-continent," added senior fellow at PAC, CK Mathew.The states were divided into two categories - large and small - on the basis of their population. "The PAI 2018 is one example of a data-based framework that provides some basis, even if rudimentary, to assess the performance of states in India," added Kasturirangan, the former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).The think tank has undertaken the study across all the Indian states considering them across ten themes, such as, essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children as well as law and order. 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.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..