Bhubaneswar: The Odisha capital has been adjudged the second best city in India terms of ease of living.
As per the Ease of Living & Municipal Performance Index 2020, Bhubaneswar is only preceded by Shimla among 62 Indian cities with a population of less than one million. Muzaffarpur in Bihar has the lowest score.
The index was released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on Thursday.
Among Indian cities with a population of over a million, the ease of living is the highest in Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad while it is the lowest in Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasising the ease of living, along with the ease of doing business, as a key policy priority, the rankings of cities have assumed significance in shaping government policies and determining expenditure priorities, Hindustan Times reported.
A total of 111 cities participated in the assessment exercise that was conducted in 2020.
The first edition of the index was launched in 2018. It was based on indicators across 15 evaluation criteria, including governance, identity and culture, education, health, safety and security, economy, affordable housing, land use planning, public open spaces, transportation and mobility, assured water supply, waste-water management, solid waste management, power, and quality of environment.
