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Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat followed Kerala among the top five states delivering good governance, according to the report.

Kerala stands as the best governed state in the country and Karnataka is in the fourth position, said the Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank Public Affairs Centre (PAC) in Bengaluru.

“Kerala has topped the Public Affairs Index (PAI) for 2018 as the best governed state for the third consecutive year since 2016 among large states,” said Bengaluru-based PAC at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday evening to release its third annual PAI.

Released annually since 2016, the index examines governance performance in the states through a data-based framework, ranking them on social and economic development they are able to provide.

Founded in 1994 by renowned Indian economist and scholar late Samuel Paul, the think tank works to mobilise a demand for better governance in the country.

Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat followed Kerala among the top five states delivering good governance, according to the report.

Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar ranked the lowest on the PAI, indicating higher social and economic inequalities in the states.

Among smaller states (with population less than two crore), Himachal Pradesh topped the list, followed by Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura which figured among the top five states with good governance.

Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya were ranked at the bottom of the index among small states.

As a young country with growing population, India needs to assess and address its developmental challenges, said the Chairman of PAC, K Kasturirangan, on the occasion.

“The PAI 2018 is one example of a data-based framework that provides some basis, even if rudimentary, to assess the performance of states in India,” added Mr Kasturirangan, the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The think tank has undertaken the study across all the Indian states considering them across 10 themes such as essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children as well as law and order.

“The index provides a multi-dimensional and comprehensive matrix that attempts to capture the complexities of governing the plural and diverse people of this sub-continent,” added Senior Fellow at PAC CK Mathew.

The states were divided into two categories, large and small, on the basis of their population. States with more than two crore population were considered large.

A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were measured to derive the PAI, relying solely upon government data.

The PAC said it was not keen to access private data sources that may be interpreted as “biased”.

This year’s PAI also included a separate index on the children of India, giving a measure of how child-friendly each of the states are.

Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram topped the index on being the states to provide better living conditions for all children.

The former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Shantha Sinha, who was present on the occasion, delivered the Samuel Paul Memorial Lecture, drawing attention to children”s rights in the country.

“Children growing up in poverty cannot be blamed for their situation and it is the state”s responsibility to ensure that they are provided with opportunities for a better living,” Ms Sinha said.

Heartbroken by the catastrophic flooding in Kerala, US tech giant Apple on Saturday announced to donate Rs 7 crore towards the ongoing relief work.

“We’re heartbroken by the catastrophic flooding in Kerala. Apple is donating Rs. 7 crore to support the life saving work Mercy Corps India and the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund are undertaking to support survivors, help those who have been displaced and rebuild homes and schools,” the Cupertino-based iPhone maker said in a statement.

Apple has also added support banners to its home page, along with App Store and iTunes Store, allowing customers to donate to Mercy Corps.

“We have also activated a donation button on iTunes and the App Store so customers who wish to donate to Mercy Corps’ efforts can do so easily,” Apple said.

Apple often uses the iTunes Store and App Stores to raise money for donation during major disasters.

Apple customers can donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 to Mercy Corps using credit and debit cards.

As many as 417 people have lost their lives in rains and floods as hundreds began returning home from relief camps, still leaving 8.69 lakh people in 2,787 shelters.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday that the deaths began since the monsoon rains started on May 29 but 265 of the casualties were reported from August 8 when torrential downpour triggered the worst flooding in the state in nearly a century.

Another accused, Sijo Jose, has been arrested for supplying a gun to Santhosh.

Pariyaram Police on Wednesday arrested an auto-rickshaw driver’s wife for allegedly orchestrating her husband’s murder in Kannur, Kerala.

The victim, KK Radhakrishnan, was shot dead on March 20 at his under-construction residence in the Kaithapram village of Kannur. Mini Nambiar, aged 42 (a native of Mathamangalam town in Kannur), along with key accused Santhosh, has been booked for her husband’s alleged murder.

Another accused, Sijo Jose, has been arrested for supplying a gun to Santhosh.

According to the investigation team, Santhosh had been hiding inside the building before ambushing Radhakrishnan and opening fire. The motive behind the murder appears to be personal revenge.

Investigation further revealed that Santhosh murdered Radhakrishnan to take revenge on him for opposing his relationship with Mini. Santhosh and Mini, who were classmates, had met at a school reunion. Santhosh later began working as a helper at the construction site of Radhakrishnan’s house.

The relationship between Santhosh and Mini reportedly deepened, prompting Radhakrishnan to oppose it. He had even filed a complaint with the Pariyaram police after Santhosh allegedly threatened him.

As per the police officials, prior to the murder, Santhosh posted a series of threatening messages on Facebook. In one such post, at 4:23 p.m., he uploaded a photo of himself holding a gun with the caption, “The task is to hit the target. Certainly, I will”.

Later that evening, at 7:27 p.m., he posted again, writing, “Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you not to harm my girl? I can bear losing my life, but my girl… I won’t forgive you.”

Currently, Mini Nambiar has been remanded to judicial custody.

The Petitioner challenged Kerala High Court’s order whereby the High Court directed one of them to attend counselling sessions with a psychiatrist as far as her sexual orientation is concerned.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to respondents on a petition filed by a girl in a same-sex relationship challenging the Kerala High Court order directing her partner to attend counselling sessions.

The supreme court stayed further proceedings in the Kerala High Court till the next date of hearing.

Earlier, the same-sex couple moved the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court order directing one of them to attend counselling sessions with a psychiatrist.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud asked the petitioner’s lawyer to keep the brief ready and said it will hear the matter at the end of the board.

Petitioner’s counsel Advocate Sriram P mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing.

The Petitioner challenged Kerala High Court’s January 13, 2023 order whereby the High Court directed one of them to attend counselling sessions with a psychiatrist as far as her sexual orientation is concerned.

In the petition, the same-sex couple said they are female as per their gender orientation and both wish to get married and be together. But the parents of the detenu have kept the detenu in illegal custody against her will so as to impede the marriage between the petitioner and the detenu, the plea stated.

It further said the petitioner is, in letter and spirit, challenging the interim orders dated January 24, 2023 and February 2, 2023 all of which denied the petitioner her fundamental rights. These orders have denied the detenu safety and liberty for a long period from January 9, 2023 to the present day, the plea said.

“The present Special Leave Petition carries a substantial question of law among many others. Whether the High Court ought to have allowed the detenu the right to be heard physically in the safety and security of the building of the High Court,” the petition said, adding that the plea also raised the question of law as to whether “gender orientation counselling” is legal or not.

The police started searching for Kalyani, and while reviewing CCTV footage, they spotted Sandhya near the Chalakudy river.

In a shocking incident, a woman allegedly threw her three-year-old daughter into a river.

The woman, Sandhya, picked up her child, Kalyani, from the local Anganwadi around 3.30 p.m.

When Sandhya returned alone, her mother Ally asked whereabouts of Kalyani.

Ally shared, “Sandhya told us Kalyani has gone.”

Later, Sandhya told people that Kalyani had gone missing from the bus.

Soon, the police started searching for Kalyani, and while reviewing CCTV footage, they spotted Sandhya near the Chalakudy river.

During interrogation, Sandhya confessed to throwing her child into the river on Monday evening.

Sandhya was taken into police custody, and the locals fished out the body around 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Family problems have now been reported as the root cause of this crime, as Sandhya’s husband, Subhash, said she never listened to him, police said.

“Sandhya only listened to her sister and mother. Reports have now surfaced that she was mentally unsound, which is false. She was perfectly fine,” said Subhash.

Ashokan, a neighbour, said that in the past, Sandhya tried to feed Kalyani an ice-cream laced with poison, but her elder child foiled her attempt.

“This was brought to the attention of the police, and Sandhya was sent for counselling,” said Ashokan.

Soumya, the teacher of the anganwadi, Kalyani used to attend, could not hold back her sadness.

“For the past 18 months, we were like a family. The children gelled well and were happy when they were here during the daytime. We are shocked that Kalyani, who was with us till yesterday, is no longer with us,” said Soumya.

Sandhya is presently in the custody of the local Police station, and the Ernakulam Rural Police are expected to register her arrest shortly.

The body of Kalyani has been sent for post-mortem examination, after which the body will be handed over to Subhash.

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