Ease of living index

Context              

Recently, the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) has been released. Bengaluru has been adjudged the most liveable city in India, followed by Pune, Ahemedabad, Chennai and Surat.

About the Ease of Living Index

• Ease of Living Index is an assessment tool that evaluates the quality of life and impact of various initiatives for urban development.
• The EOLI Index assesses the well-being of citizens in 111 cities, including cities identified under the government's Smart Cities Mission.
• The Index is prepared by the ministry of housing and urban affairs.
• A total of 111 cities participated in the assessment exercise that was conducted in 2020.

Key Findings of the Index

• Population over a million: Among Indian cities with a population of over a million, the ease of living is the highest in Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad while it is the lowest in Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar.
• Population less than a million: In cities with population less than a million, Shimla was ranked the highest while Muzaffarpur in Bihar was had the lowest score.
• Million plus category: Of the 49 cities ranked on livability index in the million plus population category, Delhi ranks 13th. At the bottom of the list are Amritsar, Guwahati, Bareilly, Dhanbad and Srinagar.
• Only 20 cities out of the 111 cities surveyed have the power to borrow and invest funds without state approval, “a serious blow to the goal of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act”.

Municipal Performance Index:

• New Delhi Municipal Council topped the ''Municipal Performance Index'' in the ''less than a million'' population category.
• The rest are Triputi, Gandhinagar, Karnal, Salem, Tiruppur, Bilaspur, Udaipur, Jhansi and Tirunelveli.
• Indore topped the ''Municipal Performance Index'' in the million-plus population category.
• In this category, Surat came second, followed by Bhopal, Pimpri Chinchawad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Raipur, Greater Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Vadodara.