Bihar, the third-largest state of India by population has the inherent advantage of having the highest percentage of young people in any Indian state. In his sixth term as Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar and his team of able administrators have been steering some landmark initiatives in the state resulting in its enhanced performance in the index of administration and governance. The return of Nitish Kumar in 2020 to take over a consecutive term was hailed by everyone as a vote for ‘Good Governance’ and in 2021 it now got the seal of the SKOCH State of Governance 2021, which has indicated the state at #1 in General Administration in the country.
Ranked just one rank below the elite ‘top ten club’ of states in the consolidated ranking at #11, it must be noted here that the state of Bihar with a score of 6.5 is much ahead of many bigger and more resourceful states in the country. It is worth mentioning here that the leadership of an experienced Chief Minister and a renewed vigour in the administration comprising of top experienced officers in his new term is reflected in the fact that the state has already surpassed the cumulated score of five years between 2014-2019 in just last two years, i.e., 2020 and 2021.
The most sterling performance for the state has been achieved by the Governance (General Administration). The state has moved from 4th position in 2020 to the topmost position of #1 in the country in 2021. The enhanced focus of the state machinery to improve governance and grass root level progress is reflected in this performance index.
The state has the distinction of having one of the best proportions of women’s participation in the Police force. A fact which has an immense bearing on gender sensitivity and confidence of the common mass in policing. The use of IT in good governance drives during the pandemic by the Bihar administration was highly acclaimed by all. The Bihar Corona Sahayata App and the e-Labharthi app proved a boon for the citizens of the state and lakhs of migrants who returned home during the crisis. The facilities put forward by the Bihar administration enabled any stranded migrant of the state to log in to the software and seek financial aid to reach home without any collateral or bank guarantee.
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The state of Bihar moved from nowhere to the 2nd position in the Finance & Revenue index. The rise is reflective of the initiatives taken by the state to enhance its financial condition of the state in terms of industrial and market growth. The availability of electricity and its access has improved substantially in the state of Bihar.
The Police & Safety index for the state of Bihar has also seen a quantum jump from #11 in 2020 to #8 position in 2021. The first time participant sectors of Rural Development have stood at #4, Social Justice & Security at #2 and Cooperative Sector topped the country with #1 ranking.
The SKOCH State of Governance rankings are independent, data-driven indicators of how well each state has performed for the previous year. The research takes a look at projects being implemented on the ground from the perspective of the citizens they intend to benefit. Projects are evaluated by domain experts and compared against peer performances to arrive at an informed conclusion about impact value and governance potential. Comparisons between state governments act as incentives for administrations to aim higher and do better. Trend mapping asserts that SKOCH top performers continue to do well year after year and set impressive records in governance through a spirit of healthy competition, peer learning and actionable feedback.
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Tripura ranks #21 nationally in the SKOCH State of Governance Report 2023.
Goa ranks #28 in the SKOCH State of Governance Report 2023.
Uttarakhand ranks #23 nationally in the SKOCH State of Governance Report 2023.
Nagaland ranks #19 nationally in the SKOCH State of Governance Report 2023
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