Mizoram is No. 1 in 'Social Inclusion' in India

Delhi, Goa and Sikkim ranked No 1 in the State Sustainable Report

New Delhi, Aug 13 : When perceived against individual ranking parameters or categories, Delhi and Goa top the national rankings across the 'economic development' and 'resource availability and utilisation' categories respectively.

On 'environment and climate change', it is Arunachal Pradesh that tops the national rankings, (though overall the state ranks 10 and is 4 in the low population density state).

Mizoram ranks as the one state nationally on 'social inclusion'.

This has been brought out by IFC-RICS Sustainability Competitiveness Report, which is an endeavor to raise awareness and promote inclusive growth among cities.

The states have been divided into three categories based on the density of population and Delhi tops the sustainable Competitiveness index in the high density states.

Goa and Sikkim similarly top the list for the medium and low population density states, respectively. When seen as an overall ranking, the top 3 winners are Goa, Delhi and Sikkim followed by Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Mizoram, Kerala, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.

India is a vast nation with a growing population base supported by thriving economic growth which has transformed the nation into a preferred business hub for the world’s most developed countries.

No longer is India tagged as a developing nation, rather it has become an ‘emerging economy’ in the terminology used by the multilaterals of the world. Despite these encouraging facts, the country today faces challenges of equitable and sustainable development coupled with collective social responsibility towards environment preservation and climate change.

Welcoming the report, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi, commented, :"It is extremely gratifying to see Delhi once again top the sustainability competitiveness rankings. It has been our constant endeavour to enable sustainable development and it is heartening to see that these initiatives have borne fruit.

Sustainable development leads to sustainable prosperity across the country and I believe that this is a strong message that reverberates through this timely report brought out by the Institute for Competitiveness and RICS India. We need to keep striving to make not just our respective states but the entire country more competitive, sustainable and a true success story." Mrs Dikshit made these remarks while participating in a two day RICS conference, which concluded this evening.