PANAJI
On the eve of World Environment Day, Goa has emerged as one of India's best-performing states in environment, public health and infrastructure indicators, securing the top position in three of the four categories assessed in the State of India's Environment 2026: In Figures report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The report, released in New Delhi on Thursday, ranked all 36 states and Union Territories across four thematic areas- Environment, Agriculture and Land, Public Health, and Public Infrastructure and Human Development using official government data.
Goa topped the national rankings in environment, public health and public infrastructure and human development, underlining the state's relatively strong performance in key development indicators. However, the report also flagged several environmental concerns that continue to threaten Goa's ecological future.
In the environment category, Goa secured the top rank ahead of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura and Odisha. According to the report, Goa's strong performance was driven largely by its high share of renewable energy sources in power generation.
Yet the report cautions that the state cannot afford complacency. Despite topping the charts, Goa continues to face challenges related to changes in forest cover, sewage treatment and the management of polluted river stretches.
Goa also emerged as the best-performing state in the public health category, ahead of Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Kerala and Sikkim. The report highlighted a unique achievement- Goa is the only state in the country where all registered deaths are medically certified with a known cause of death.
However, even in healthcare, challenges remain. The report noted a shortfall in government hospital beds per 1,000 population, indicating that healthcare infrastructure needs strengthening despite the state's overall strong performance.
In the public infrastructure and human development category, the State once again secured the top rank, followed by Nagaland, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The report observed that public infrastructure remains a major challenge across much of the country, with 32 out of 36 states and Union Territories scoring below the halfway mark in this category.
The only area where Goa performed poorly was Agriculture and Land, where it figured among the bottom five states alongside Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha and Telangana.
The report noted that farmer welfare remains one of the weakest-performing indicators nationally, with 27 states and Union Territories scoring below the halfway mark in the category.
