Ease of Living Index
Shimla Ranks First in Ease of Living Index
S himla City ranked first in the Ease Of Living Index (EoLI) among the cities having population below 10 lac. This is a matter of pride for the State Govt. and the Citizens of Shimla. Ease of living Index is an objective evaluation of the liveability of a city. In the results announced today by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt. of India, Shimla ranked number 1 taking a long stride from the raking in 2018 wherein Shimla was rated at 92nd place. The ranking of Shimla in the Ease of Living Index is an indication of the pace of development and the commitment of the State Govt. towards the welfare of the public.
It is pertinent to mention here that Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs in order to assess the progress made in cities through various initiatives and empower them to use evidence to plan, implement & monitor their performance had launched two Assessment Frameworks, viz. Ease of LivingIndex (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2019. Both these indices were designed to assess quality of life of citizens in 100 Smart Cities and 14 other Cities having population more than 10 lac.
Ease of Living Index is aimed at providing a holistic view of Indian cities – starting from the services provided by urban local bodies, the effectiveness of the administration, the outcomes generated through these services in terms of the liveability within cities and, finally, the citizen perception of these outcomes. The key objectives of the Ease of Living Index were four-folds, viz. 1) generate information to guide evidence-based policy making; 2) catalyse action to achieve broader developmental outcomes including the SDG; 3) assess and compare the outcomes achieved from various urban policies and schemes; and 4) obtain the perception of citizens about their view of the services provided by the city administration. Ease of Living was based on assessment of ease of living of citizens across three points i.e. Quality of Life, Economic Ability and Sustainability which were further divided into 14 categories across 50 indicators.
All participating cities had appointed nodal officers who were made responsible to collect and collate the relevant data points from various departments both within and outside of the ULB and upload the same along with supporting documents in the exclusive web portal designed for this purpose.
As part of the Ease of Living Index Assessment, a Citizen Perception Survey was also conducted (which carried 30% of the marks of the Ease of Living Index). Citizen Perception Survey was important component of the assessment exercise as it helped in capturing perception of citizens directly with respect to liveability and quality of life in the city. This survey, conducted both online and offline from 1st February 2020 to 29th February 2020.
In Shimla City Municipal corporation Shimla and Shimla Smart City carried out an intensive campaign for seeking the opinion of the general public through Citizen Perception Survey regarding liveability in the city and uploaded all details regarding Ease Of Living (EoLI) on the portal designed for the purpose.
The ranking of the Shimla as Number 1 is a reflection of the development that has taken place in the recent years in the State. Unprecedented development in the fields of education, health, public works and other sectors as well and decline in the crime rate in the State have added to the liveability of Shimla City. Continuous and uniform planned development in the State despite adverse situations arising because Covid-19 pandemic is perfect example of dedication and citizen friendly administration of the state Govt.
Being ranked first in the Ease of Living index across the country is though is matter of happiness but at the same time it bestows us with more responsibilities for providing hassle free services to the citizen apart from creating infrastructure which add to the liveability of the citizen in Shimla and across the State as well.