Environmental index:
Sikkim rates as most enviornment friendly

15 Jan 2010

An Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) that maps the ability of States to remain ecologically sustainable while pursuing development has ranked Tamil Nadu in “medium sustainable” category.

Launched on Tuesday by the Centre for Development Finance (CDF), a think-tank of the Institute for Financial Management and Research, the ESI brackets Tamil Nadu among States that have maintained environmental conditions in spite of the relatively high intensity of economic activity and demographic pressures.

While Tamil Nadu scored well on the energy management front, the looming challenge for its policymakers is in evolving sustainable waste disposal systems.

The ESI maps 40 different environmental parameters to provide an index on the sustainability potential of a State. North-eastern States such as Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Uttaranchal and Sikkim have been rated “most environmentally sustainable.” The “more sustainable” segment featured Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and West Bengal.

Among the bigger States, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh rank low in the chart while Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have largely managed to balance economic growth and environmental quality.