Maharashtra has built a credible portfolio this year: 43 projects have been formally submitted for evaluation from 14 departments and several have been flagged as “commendable performances”—the kind that move rankings when supported by before-after evidence. Where departments provided complete documentation and measurable outcomes, the state’s score responded. In short: the work exists and when it is shown with proof, it counts.
Maharashtra sits at #2 in the 2025 SKOCH State of Governance rankings (Jan-Sept 2025), inside a tightly packed lead group where small changes in volume and quality can swing outcomes.
The assessment urges that well-performing outcome based projects with evidence can be nominated for assessment. That framing is telling. It signals that several domains have done noteworthy work but have not yet been converted into formally evaluated projects. In other words, Maharashtra’s story is not a shortage of initiatives; it is a shortage of documented, outcome-backed nominations that can be benchmarked nationally. Where departments have sent robust entries—complete with before-and-after metrics—the state’s score has responded. Where they have not, effort remains invisible to the index.
The index is designed to reflect a whole-of-state effort, so a partial chorus understates Maharashtra’s real performance. Many of the most measurable outcomes live in field execution—service delivery, local infrastructure, human development and digitised citizen interfaces—often owned by districts, municipalities and state undertakings. Their work must enter the pipeline to reflect the state’s true breadth.
Non-participating departments should not wait for new schemes. They should nominate outcome-ready slices of ongoing programmes (e.g., a district rollout, a tehsil-level service redesign, a targeted beneficiary drive) with clear baselines and post-implementation results. Areas that typically yield strong, comparable outcomes include service delivery, infrastructure upkeep and time-to-benefit, human development (health, education, nutrition), welfare targeting and leak reduction, public safety and response, revenue and land records and e-governance. The aim is a balanced portfolio that improves both total score and resilience of rank. This may require a large number of departments to participate with their well performing projects.
Move from 43 to 80+ qualified submissions. Treat distinct modules/rollouts as separate projects when justified. Qualification needs full documentation—objectives, baselines, outcomes and citizen impact—so projects can be benchmarked nationally.
Resubmit improved projects from previous cycles with fresh outcomes (coverage expansion, cost/time reduction, quality gains). This converts cumulative work into current-year score without reinventing schemes.
Each of the participating departments can submit 2-3 outcome-ready projects and co-nominate with districts, municipalities and state undertakings where results are field-led.
Include governance mechanics—grievance redress, monitoring dashboards, process redesigns, last-mile fixes—because the ranking rewards outcomes backed by credible processes, not announcements.
Maharashtra is within striking distance of the top. The path is administrative more than inspirational—turn more of the state’s performance into evaluated, evidence-rich projects and ensure the full system (departments, districts, municipalities, undertakings) is visible.
Between January and September 2025, the state’s performance indicators reveal a steady climb—propelled by resilient infrastructure, robust investments and dynamic governance. Maharashtra now sits at #2 (the state was #1 in 2024), but the momentum suggests a powerful resurgence. With innovation at its core and an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit, the state’s growth story seems poised for another golden chapter—where ambition, opportunity and resilience converge to reclaim the top spot.
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