Odisha Ranked Lowly 32nd on Social Progress Index

The latest report issued by the Social Progress Index (SPI) for States and Districts of India shows that Odisha fares poorly on the Social Progress Index (SPI). Odisha is ranked 32nd rank among the states and Union Territories.

The Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative released the SPI for states and districts on Tuesday.

The SPI evaluates states and districts on the basis of 12 components across three critical dimensions of social progress – basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity. The SPI leverages an all-embracing framework comprising 89 indicators at the state level and 49 at the district level.

The states and districts have been ranked under six tiers of social progress on the basis of the SPI. Tier 1 represents very high social progress; Tier 2 means high social progress; Tier 3 suggests upper middle social progress; Tier 4 means lower middle social progress; Tier 5 denotes low social progress; while states and districts in Tier 6 have very low social progress.

Puducherry has been ranked 1st in the country with an SPI score of 65.99, which shows its outstanding performance across components such as personal freedom and choice, water and sanitation and shelter. Puducherry is followed by Lakshadweep and Goa with SPI scores of 65.89 and 65.53, respectively. On the other hand, Jharkhand and Bihar secured the lowest SPI score, 43.95 and 44.47, respectively.

As per the SPI, Odisha scored 48.19 points and ranked 32nd in the country. The state finds a place in Tier V denoting low social progress. Odisha is ranked in the fifth position from the bottom.

Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Goa are the best-performing states for the foundations of well-being. In the component of access to basic knowledge, Punjab scored the highest with 62.92, while Delhi topped the list for access to information and communication with a 71.30 score.

Rajasthan scored the highest (73.74) in the health and wellness component, while Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram scored the highest in the environmental quality component.