Delhi eases into 13th slot, scores big on job opportunities
From being ranked 65th among 111 cities in 2018, Delhi has climbed up to the 13th position in the Ease of Living Index-2020 released by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs.
The capital’s ascent has primarily been powered by the economic opportunities it offers, the parameter on which it was ranked second in the country after Bengaluru.
Among the five major “pillars” of the index, economic ability is the worst performing with an aggregate score of 13.1 nationally. The cities that buck the trend are Bengaluru, which has secured the top spot with a score of 78.8, followed by Delhi (50.7), Pune (48.8) and Ahmedabad (48.1). All these cities have a population of over a million.
[post_ads]
When it comes to economic opportunities, Delhi is the only positive outlier in the category with a perfect score of 100, followed by Bengaluru with a significant gap (58.1), Hyderabad (48) and Chennai (45.11). Delhi is on top among 29 cities scoring above the national average, including 16 with a population of over a million and 13 with less than a million.
The capital is also an economic powerhouse in the northern region with the economic ability score of 50.7. This not only ranks it the highest, but also way ahead of the next city Ludhiana, which has a score of 26.2. In fact, with a regional average score of 52.5, most of the over 17 million cities in the northern region have a score higher than the national average of 53.5. Apart from Delhi, the other top ranking north Indian cities are Ludhiana (14th), Jodhpur (21st) and Jaipur (23rd).
Interestingly, in the economic development category, Delhi scores the lowest at 1.4, while the national average is 18. The reason is that cities like Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, Thane and Chennai and even Gurugram score higher due to their legacy of industrial development. Delhi is traditionally a major trading point and only non-polluting industries are allowed in the city.
Another area where Delhi scores high is the housing and shelter category, where along with Thiruvananthapuram, Puducherry and Bhopal, it has been identified as the perfect positive outlier. All households in these cities have electrical connections and beneficiaries are covered under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, 10-20% of the urban population resides in slums.
Delhi is also among at least 34 cities, including Bengaluru, Chennai and Chandigarh, that have professionally trained teachers.
An area of major concern is the number of crimes against women. Most cities recording high incidence of such crimes are in north India, including top performers in the quality of life category, like Delhi, Gurugram and Indore.
[post_ads_2]
Despite having the largest metro network in the country, Delhi records low figures for availability of public transport. The figure of Delhi (1,688.5 per lakh population) is lower than Bengaluru (4,409.6), Pune (2,585.5) and Navi Mumbai (2,037.8). In Chennai, availability of public transport is the highest at 92,017.9 per lakh population, followed by Visakhapatnam (21,212.9).
The public transport system in cities like Delhi is not efficient enough to support the population and they may be “automobile-dependent”, states the report. Delhi’s figure for transport-related fatalities of 12.43 per lakh population is also higher than many other cities.
The report mentions that according to World Health Organisation, 20 of the world’s most polluted cities belong to India, including Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Patna. However, it also states that Delhi government shut down a thermal power plant at Rajghat, aiming to redevelop it into a 5,000 kW solar park.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com