The Public Affairs Index-2020 has ranked Kerala as the best-governed state. The Public Affairs Centre, which released its report in Bengaluru, has found Uttar Pradesh declared at the bottom in the category of the large states. 

In the annual report released on Friday, the city-based not-for-profit-organisation said the states were ranked based on a composite index in the context of sustainable development. The organisation is headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Kasturirangan. 

In the large state category in terms of governance, four southern states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka took the top four ranks. Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar marked the bottom of the ranking, scoring negative points in the category, getting -1.461, -1.201 and - 1.158 points respectively. 

In the small state category, Goa ranked first with 1.745 points, followed by Meghalaya (0.797) and Himachal Pradesh (0.725). Worst performers who scored negative points are Manipur (-0.363), Delhi (-0.289) and Uttarakhand (0.277), according to the PAC report. 

Chandigarh was found to be the best governed Union Territory in the category of UTs with 1.05 PAI points followed by Puducherry (0.50), while Andaman and Nicobar (-0.30) was the worst performer. 

According to PAC, the governance performance is analysed in the context of sustainable development defined by three pillars of equity, growth and sustainability. Speaking on the occasion, Kasturirangan said: “The evidence that PAI 2020 generates and the insights that it provides must compel us to reflect on the economic and social transition that is underway in India.”