Fiscal Health Index 2026
NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index (FHI) is an annual scorecard that ranks Indian states on how soundly they run their finances. The second edition, unveiled on 11 March 2026 and built on Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)-audited figures for 2023-24, widened its reach from 18 major states to also cover 10 North-Eastern and Himalayan states, judged on a separate scale. Odisha again finished on top among the big states, while Punjab, West Bengal and Kerala anchored the bottom. NITI pitches the Index as an engine of competitive federalism on fiscal prudence - a public yardstick that pushes states to vie with one another on debt, deficits and the quality of what they spend.
- Fiscal Health Index
- FHI
- NITI Aayog
- state finances
- fiscal federalism
- Odisha
- CAG
- GSDP
Read the full living note — free
The complete note in both exam lenses (UPSC analytical / fact capsule), its full version history, and “what changed since you last read” — plus tonight's quiz.
Open in CA·WikiAI-assisted, human-reviewed · sourced from PIB, RBI & ministries · editorial policy
More living notes in Reports & Indices
- NITI Aayog's Manufacturing Hub ReportNITI Aayog put out its manufacturing-hub study on 13 August 2026: 12 sectors shortlisted overall, four of them — chemicals, textiles, telecom gear and solar PV — assessed in full, with eight further sector reports still to come.
- NFHS-6 - India's Health & Family SnapshotParliament was told how the NFHS-6 fact sheets were designed: a Technical Advisory Committee held them to harmonised key indicators, and anaemia prevalence will now be taken from a separate ICMR survey that measures haemoglobin from an intravenous draw rather than a finger prick. The fact sheets themselves were released on 29 May 2026.
- Investment Friendliness Index (IFI)Breaks down NITI Aayog's new Investment Friendliness Index, released 17 July 2026: its eight pillars, 84 indicators, four performance bands, and where each state and UT landed.
- Women & Men in India 2025 (Gender Data)Women & Men in India 2025 (27th ed.): sex ratio at birth 917, female higher-ed GER 30.2 tops male, rural female LFPR 45.9%; NITI credit report - women hold Rs 76 lakh crore, 36% penetration
- NCRB Crime in India 2024NCRB Crime in India 2024 released: overall crime down 6% (rate 418.9 per lakh), but cybercrime crosses 1 lakh cases for the first time (+18%); first full year under BNS.
- India in Global Indices — 2026 Tracker2026 indices so far: India up in Happiness (116th), Corruption Perceptions (91st), Innovation (38th) and SDG (94th, highest-ever); down to 157th on Press Freedom and 115th on Peace.