Odisha ranks first in Urban Governance Index

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has topped the Urban Governance Index in the country, as per a report released by Praja Foundation.

Odisha with 56.86% score ranked first the list, followed by Maharashtra (55.15%), Chhattisgarh (49.68%), Kerala (48.77%) and Madhya Pradesh (45.94%). Praja Foundation released its first Urban Governance Index (UGI)-2020 yesterday.

Odisha has also secured the top spot in ‘Empowered Citizens’ category, and third position in ‘Empowered City Elected Representatives and Legislative Structure’ and ‘Empowered City Administration’ categories.

Urban Governance Study spanned over 3 years (2017-2020) in 40 cities across 28 states and National Capital Territory of Delhi. The study involved a total of 1568 interviews held with key stakeholders such as the city Elected Representatives (ERs), city administrators and city based CSOs.

The urban governance index looks at the structural empowerment of the city governments by the State government.