Bengaluru, Oct 15 (IANS): Haryana and Sikkim states top in economic justice, political justice and social justice indicators as per the objectives of the constitution according to the Public Affairs Index 2022 (PAI 2022) study of the Public Affairs Centre (PAC).

Haryana is ranked first among 18 large states and Sikkim number one among 10 small states, a PAC release stated on Friday.

The PAC is a 27-year-old think tank, a non-partisan and independent effort that provides evidence-based insights into governance in Indian states. The study was taken up to commemorate 75 years of Indian Independence and the spirit of the Constitution.

In the 'Amrit Kaal' of Indian Independence, PAI 2022 evaluates state governments' commitment to realise the constitutional covenant that guides Indian democracy.

It said that the analysis of governance experiences a shift from the framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to a constitutionally enshrined principle of justice. This conceptualisation of justice is operationalised through three themes - social, economic, and political justice, five sub-themes, and 22 indicators.

Accounting for variation in the states in terms of population and size, an elbow method was used to categorise them into 18 large states and 10 small states.

PAI 2022 exempted Union Territories from the analyses owing to data unavailability and irrelevance of certain constitutionally mandated functions in their governance.

As per the study, Tamil Nadu stands second and and Kerala and Chhattisgarh stand in third and fourth positions among large states. After Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand rank second and third among small states.

PAC Director G. Gurucharan said: "This seventh edition of the PAI makes a paradigmatic shift in its approach adopting the constitutionally mandated framework of the roles and responsibilities of the States in India as the basis to assess the quality and adequacy of their governance performance during the year 2021-2022.