In a recent development, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs disclosed the final standings of the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) and the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) for 2020. The MPI works alongside the EoLI, scrutinizing municipal government performance across different sectors, aiming to streamline local governance and endorse transparency and accountability.
Understanding the Municipal Performance Index
The MPI has been introduced as a companion to the EoLI. It is designed with the objective of evaluating local government activities in municipalities across the domains of services, finance, policy, technology, and governance. The broader goal of the MPI is to un-complicate and assess the intricacies involved in local governance practices, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability.
The MPI examined the sectoral performance of 111 municipalities. The parameters considered under the MPI included five verticals: Services, Finance, Policy, Technology, and Governance, which together comprise 20 sectors and 100 indicators. For the purpose of the MPI 2020, municipalities were categorized based on their population — Million+ (municipalities with over a million residents) and Less than a Million Population.
In the Million+ category, Indore secured the highest rank, followed by Surat and Bhopal. In the Less than Million category, New Delhi Municipal Council led the ranking followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar.
Decoding the Ease of Living Index
The EoLI serves as a tool to assess the quality of life and gauge the impact of various initiatives aimed at urban development. It provides a comprehensive understanding of cities across India based on the quality of life, economic viability, and a city’s sustainability and resilience.
The index is designed to aid cities in carrying out a self-assessment against global and national benchmarks, promoting a shift towards an ‘outcome-based’ approach for urban planning and management. The EoLI 2020 included a Citizen Perception Survey, accounting for 30% of the index weightage, to validate the citizens’ experience of their city with regards to service delivery.
The index also scrutinizes the outcomes contributing to existing living conditions across 13 categories such as Education, Health, Housing and Shelter, Buildings, Energy Consumption, and City Resilience, collectively accounting for 70% of the overall outcome.
In the Million+ category of EoLI, Bengaluru was the top performer, followed by Pune and Ahmedabad; whereas, the lowest performers were Amritsar, Guwahati, Bareilly, Dhanbad, and Srinagar. For the Less than Million category, Shimla stood first, followed by Bhubaneshwar and Silvassa, while Aligarh, Rampur, Namchi, Satna, and Muzaffarpur found themselves at the bottom.
Significance of these Indices
These indices provide a comprehensive assessment of cities based on their efforts to foster a better quality of life, create infrastructure, and tackle the challenges posed by urbanization. The insights gathered from these indices can guide the government in identifying potential gaps, capitalize on potential opportunities, and enhance efficiency in local governance, thereby improving the lives of citizens and achieving broader development outcomes.
Furthermore, these indicators align with the majority of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11, which focuses on building sustainable cities and communities.
