Amaravati, Nov 9: Andhra Pradesh has secured the second position among 28 states in the Access Equality Index (AEI-2026), outperforming its economic standing in providing people access to basic services, infrastructure, education, healthcare and social security.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday welcomed the findings of a report prepared by the Centre for New Economics Studies (CNES), saying it reflected the governance initiatives undertaken by his government over the past two-and-a-half years.
“Andhra Pradesh has secured the second position among 28 states in the Access Equality Index, reflecting its progress in ensuring that people have access to essential services, infrastructure, education, healthcare and social security despite its relatively lower per capita income,” said an official press release.
Goa topped the index with a score of 0.68, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 0.66. Sikkim secured third place with 0.63, while Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana occupied the subsequent positions, it said.
The report identified Andhra Pradesh as a front-runner state and the highest-ranked among major states. The index assessed five key parameters – basic amenities, healthcare, education, socio-economic security and legal services – using 60 indicators across 23 categories, said the press release.
Andhra Pradesh emerged as the top performing state nationally in socio-economic security, scoring 0.69, ahead of Goa, which ranked second with 0.50. The state also figured among the leading performers in the other four categories.
Despite ranking 13th nationally in per capita income, Andhra Pradesh stood second in providing opportunities to its people, highlighting its performance beyond its economic position, said the release, quoting the report.
The southern state’s access score was 0.66 against an expected score of 0.51 based on its economic status, registering a positive difference of 0.15 points – the highest among all states, it said, adding that Kerala followed with a positive difference of 0.07, while Himachal Pradesh recorded 0.06.
The report observed that economic wealth alone could not determine a state’s development, emphasising that converting available resources into opportunities and essential services for citizens was equally important.
It assessed access to drinking water, sanitation, housing, clean energy, healthcare, education, employment, banking, insurance, pensions and legal services.
Naidu said his government was focusing on attracting investments to generate wealth, improving governance and expanding opportunities for people.
He said development and governance initiatives were reaching different regions and sections of society, from individual households to community assets, including efforts to improve cleanliness in villages and towns. (PTI)
