By IANS
New Delhi : Punjab Friday bagged an award for overall performance while Puducherry was chosen as the best in the small state category and Assam the fastest mover with inclusive growth.
The states were ranked by the India Today group of publications, and Vice-President Hamid Ansari distributed the awards at a function here.
The awards were in nine categories – agriculture, consumer market, education, governance, health, infrastructure, investment, macroeconomics and most inclusive growth besides overall performance.
While Jammu and Kashmir was honoured for its inclusive growth and reducing the gap between the rich and poor, Himachal Pradesh and Assam were recognised for their efforts towards poverty reduction.
Following are the awards:
Agriculture: best big state – Punjab; small state – Puducherry; most improved state – Madhya Pradesh.
Consumer Market: best big state – Punjab; small state – Delhi; most improved state – Tamil Nadu.
Education: best big state – Kerala; small state – Mizoram; most improved state -Uttar Pradesh.
Governance: best big state – Kerala; small state – Puducherry; most improved state – Karnataka.
Health: best big state – Kerala; small state – Goa; most improved state – Uttar Pradesh.
Infrastructure: best big state – Gujarat; small state – Delhi; most improved state – Madhya Pradesh.
Macro economy: best big state – Punjab; small state – Goa; most improved state -Orissa.
Most Inclusive state – Jammu and Kashmir
Poverty reduction – Himachal Pradesh and Assam
Overall Performance: best big state – Punjab; small state – Puducherry; most improved state – Assam.