KERALA

Best state

WHY NO.1

Kerala topped three categories-law and order, health and environment.

It found place among top five states in five out of 10 categories.

Life in Kerala reflects its Overall Best Big State crown: it's the safest, healthiest, most environment-friendly and only second-best in education and agriculture. The state has shown improvements in all categories except inclusive development, in which it slipped three ranks. Infant mortality in Kerala was the lowest (12 per thousand live births) in 2013 against the all-India average of 30. It reported 99.7 per cent births assisted by trained personnel in 2013-14, the highest in the country. Violent crime in the state is one of the lowest: 4 per cent. Spending on education increased by 25 per cent from 2013-14 to 2014-15, 4 percentage points higher than the all-India mark. In Kerala, you breathe easy, literally. Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter concentrations were the lowest in 2013; tree cover (outside forest area) increased from 7.09 per cent in 2013 to 7.59 per cent in 2015. "Our government is committed to improving the quality of life through best practices of governance," says Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The focus now, he says, is on tackling corruption, reviving traditional industries, and honing entrepreneurship. "I am confident Kerala will emerge as major start-up destination in the future," adds Vijayan.

TAMIL NADU

Most improved state

WHY NO.1

Tamil Nadu showed improvement in eight out of 10 catergories.

It ranked among the top 10 states in nine categories.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu has emerged as a major building block in the national economy. It was ranked the second economically most competitive state in 2016, on the basis of macroeconomic stability, financial, business and manpower conditions, quality of life, infrastructure development and governance. It is one of the three most-preferred states for investment and one of the eight states where poverty dropped at a higher rate than the all-India average. Its per capita income is the third highest among the big states. Health, education and safety of women are other areas the state made strides in. Tamil Nadu has the lowest infant mortality after Kerala. At 42 per cent, the gross enrolment ratio in higher education is the highest. Eighty per cent of the 72 million population is literate. The state has developed into an innovation-based economy with a strong performance in manufacturing and services. Largely free of communal, left-wing extremist and religious fundamentalist violence, Tamil Nadu pioneered all-women police stations, which now operate in every police subdivision.