The Ease of Living Index 2018 released by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday has thrown surprises, with few most prominent cities failing to make a cut in the top 10. Of total 111 cities ranked under the index, Pune has been ranked first while Navi Mumbai has surfaced as the second preferred spot in terms of 'liveability'. However, the national capital Delhi has failed to make it to the top 50, ranking much below cities like Vijayawada and Bhopal at number 65. Chennai was also ranked at number 14, while Kolkata refused to participate in the survey.

The Ease of Living Index is a government initiative to assess cities' 'liveability' with regards to global and national benchmarks and encourage them towards urban planning and management. All the cities have been ranked on the basis of four parameters -- institutional, social, economic and physical.

During the survey, the entire data was compiled on a new portal and a monitoring dashboard for a real-time update. Based on over 50,000 points, the government surveyed over 60,000 people, conducted the secondary audit of 10,000 documents, and the physical audit of 14,000 units before finalising the list.

Union Minister @HardeepSPuri announces Top 10 cities ranking for Ease of Living Index 1- Pune 2- Navi Mumbai 3- Greater Mumbai 4- Tirupati 5- Chandigarh 6- Thane 7- Raipur 8- Indore 9- Vijaywada 10- Bhopal pic.twitter.com/LkRswBlwHj - PIB India (@PIB_India) August 13, 2018

A government statement said the Ease of Living assessment standards is closely linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, which will provide a strong impetus to India's effort for systematic tracking progress of SDGs in the urban areas.

Other cities that grabbed the spot among the top 10 include Greater Mumbai, Tirupati, Chandigarh, Thane, Raipur, Indore, Vijayawada, and Bhopal. Apart from presenting the overall national ranking of 111 cities, the index also presents the ranking of the cities across pillars, category, geographical zone, and population classifications. The most liveable city in India, Pune, ranks eighth on institutional standard, fifth on social, seventh on economic standard and second on the physical parameter. Similarly, Navi Mumbai ranks first on the institutional parameter, third on social, and seventh on the physical parameter.