Overview
- The index ranks 18 major states, with Odisha scoring 73.1, Goa 54.7 and Jharkhand 50.5.
- NITI Aayog classifies Odisha, Goa and Jharkhand as the Achiever group, marked by high own-tax shares, stronger capital outlay, low deficits and moderate debt.
- Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala sit at the bottom in the Aspirational category, with scores as low as 12.4 in Punjab and below 25 in the others.
- The report cites heavy committed liabilities for lower-ranked states, noting that salaries, pensions and interest payments crowd out capital and development spending.
- Vice Chairman Suman Bery urges preservation of state-level fiscal buffers as Arvind Virmani underscores pressures from committed expenditure and debt servicing, and Punjab’s bottom rank draws opposition criticism.