New Delhi, Sep 24: Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh bagged award for three best performing states under 'Ease of Living Index' rankings, the government announced on Monday. The three States were awarded the three best performing states under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018.

Andhra Pradesh topped the charts among states in terms of 'Ease of Living Index' rankings, followed by Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri said that the Ease of Living Index is a transformative initiative of the Ministry to help the cities assess their liveability vis-à-vis national and global benchmarks. Pune Tops List of Most Livable Cities, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai Follow; Uttar Pradesh's Rampur Ranked Worst.

Puri said that this exercise marked a major milestone in India’s goal to promote evidence-based planning and action towards sustainable urbanization.  “The ‘Ease of Living’ Index seeks to assist cities in undertaking a 360-degree assessment of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats”, he added. The ministry released the first ever ‘Ease of Living Index’ covering 111 Indian cities on 13 August.

It was decided in June 2017 to rank 116 cities (all smart cities and million plus cities) based on the liveability parameters. The implementation of the assessment commenced formally on 19 January 2018. The first round of Ease of Living covered 111 cities. Gurugram was subsequently included in the assessment. Kerala Best Governed State, Nitish Kumar's Bihar Ranked Lowest in Public Affairs Index 2018; Check Rankings of All Indian States.

Four cities of West Bengal – Howrah, New Town Kolkata, Kolkata and Durgapur did not participate and Naya Raipur of Chhattisgarh and Amravati of Andhra Pradesh did not fulfil the parameters as they are green-field cities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2018 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).