Dropping down from an earlier ranking of 2 in 2018, Navi Mumbai ranked 6^th this year, under the “population more than million” category, with Bengaluru topping the list as first most livable city in the country.

The City of the Twenty First Century; Navi Mumbai, was ranked as the sixth most livable city in the country in the “Ease of Living Index 2020” survey, the results of which were released on Thursday, 4 March, 2021, by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent charge), Housing and Urban Affairs. Sadly, it has been demoted from number 2 in the previous ranking.

In the “population more than million” category, Bangalore stole the top spot, followed by Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Surat and Navi Mumbai, besides other cities.

In the “population less than million” category, Shimla turned out to be the winner, followed by Bhubaneshwar, Silvassa, Kakinada, Salem and Vellore, besides other cities.

The Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020, saw Indore emerged as the winner, followed by Surat and Bhopal, in the “million-plus” category. In the “less than million” category, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) won the top place, followed by Tirupati and Gandhinagar municipalities.

Surprisingly, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) failed to make it to the top 10 municipalities’ list in the MPI 2020. It came 11th in the rankings.

Also read: NMMC not in top 10 city municipalities in the Municipal Performance Index 2020

A Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) was also undertaken during the evaluation period, to help validate the views and experiences of citizens in their respective cities. A total of 32.2 lakh citizens from 111 cities had participated in the survey, which was carried out from 16th January 2020 till 20th March 2020.

Bhubaneshwar had the highest CPS score, followed by Silvassa, Davangere, Kakinada, Bilaspur and Bhagalpur.

Also Read: Navi Mumbai 5th in Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2020, with 82.40 percent

For those who don’t know, Navi Mumbai has actually slipped down from earlier Ease of Living (EoLI) index rankings.

Navi Mumbai has always been a top runner owing to better infrastructure, roads, electricity, water, social lives, job opportunities, and the overall self-sufficiency.

Although Navi Mumbai is in the top 10 most livable cities in India, it should be noted here that it has fallen down from earlier rankings, so that is an area of concern and improvement.

For readers:

What is Ease of Living Index (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI)

For those who don’t know – the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) is a tool to evaluate the quality of life and the impact of various initiatives for urban development on a city level. It helps understand the quality of life, economic-ability, and sustainability and resilience of participating cities across India. The evaluation also takes into consideration the view of residents on the various services and initiatives of the city administrations, through a Citizen Perception Survey.

Similarly, the Municipal Performance Index (MPI) examines and evaluates the administration practices of municipalities across areas of services, finance, policy, technology and governance. With a purpose to promote transparency and accountability, it seeks to simplify and evaluate the complexities in local governance practices.

Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020 – Population More Than Million – Top 10 Winning Cities

• 1. Bengaluru
• 2. Pune
• 3. Ahmedabad
• 4. Chennai
• 5. Surat
• 6. Navi Mumbai
• 7. Coimbatore
• 8. Vadodara
• 9. Indore
• 10. Greater Mumbai

Ease of Living Index (EoLI) 2020 – Population Less Than Million – Top 10 Winning Cities

• 1. Shimla
• 2. Bhubaneshwar
• 3. Silvassa
• 4. Kakinada
• 5. Salem
• 6. Vellore
• 7. Gandhinagar
• 8. Gurugram
• 9. Davangere
• 10. Tiruchirapalli

NMMC officials were unavailable for comment.

(Numbers and Rankings Sourced From: Pib.gov.in)