Kerala way ahead of UP on several indices, shows NITI Aayog data

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's request seeking votes for the ruling BJP so that his State would not become Kerala has once again sparked a debate on the aspects on which the north Indian state is ahead of the south Indian one.

According to several NITI Aayog and Central government statistics, Kerala is way ahead of UP on several indices. NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), released last year, showed UP lagging behind Kerala on 13 out of 15 indices.

Kerala has been ranked first in the country with the lowest poverty in the multidimensional poverty index and quality of education.

Unemployment high in Kerala

Kerala maintained the top slot in NITI Aayog's Health Index released last year, while UP was the worst-performing State in India.

Though ranked first in the Human Development Index in the country, Kerala, however, has been lagging behind UP when it comes to the unemployment rate. According to statistics placed in the Lok Sabha the other day, the unemployment rate in Kerala during 2019-20 was 10 per cent, compared to UP's 4.4 per cent.

As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) statistics, Kerala's unemployment rate was five per cent as of February 9, while it was three per cent in UP.

As many as 7.5 per cent of the population in Kerala is below the poverty line (BPL), while it is 29.43 per cent in UP.

Central government statistics revealed that 104 farmers had committed suicide in Kerala in 2018-20. In UP 275 farmers took the extreme step during the same period.