Overview
- The Centre for New Economic Studies’ Access Equality Index 2026, released Monday, placed Andhra Pradesh second among 28 states with an overall score of 0.66 while Goa topped the list at 0.68 and Sikkim was third at 0.63.
- The index measures five equally weighted dimensions—basic infrastructure, healthcare, education, socio‑economic security and access to justice—using 60 indicators across 23 categories such as drinking water, sanitation, housing, clean energy, banking and legal services.
- Andhra Pradesh outperformed its economic position by the widest margin in the report, scoring 0.66 against an expected score of 0.51 based on its 13th‑place per‑capita income, a positive gap of 0.15 points.
- The state led the country in the socio‑economic security dimension with a score of 0.69, a major contributor to its overall rank and to officials’ claims about expanded welfare protections and safety nets.
- Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu welcomed the findings as validation of two‑and‑a‑half years of policy and governance reforms, and the CNES analysis highlights that converting resources into services, not income alone, drives access outcomes and could shape future state priorities.