Goa ranks #25 in the SKOCH State of Governance Index 2024, reflecting limited engagement across key sectors and a relatively small number of impactful public sector initiatives. This limited project volume restricts Goa’s visibility in national governance benchmarks. Its performance remains modest when evaluated across the six SKOCH indices—State of Governance, e-Government Infrastructure Index, State of Financial Prudence Index, State of Government Transformation, State of Government Efficiency Index and State of Development.
In the SKOCH State of Governance Index, Goa’s #25 position marks a considerable gap from the top-performing states like Maharashtra (#1), Gujarat (#2), and Andhra Pradesh (#3). Compared to small states such as Sikkim or Mizoram, which have shown consistent sectoral excellence and high-impact interventions, Goa’s portfolio remains thin.
The state made a notable comeback in the General Administration sector, ranking #5 nationally, but this isolated achievement isn’t sufficient to offset the absence of a broader governance footprint. The report notes that to rise in rankings, Goa needs to submit at least 50 well-performing projects or significantly improve the quality of studied projects across multiple departments—especially at district and municipal levels where participation is currently negligible.
In terms of SKOCH e-Government Infrastructure Index, Goa’s performance is middling. Despite having high tele-density (156.52 per 100 population) and strong internet penetration (156.34 per 100), its normalised score remains limited at 0.385, suggesting inefficiencies in service delivery and underutilisation of digital capacity. While Goa’s digital foundation is among the best in the country—on par with UTs like Delhi and Ladakh—its relatively low e-transactions per capita and fewer online services offered (only 77) bring down the index score. For comparison, states like Uttarakhand and Punjab with more modest digital infrastructure have outperformed Goa due to stronger citizen engagement and a higher number of digital services.
On the SKOCH State of Financial Prudence Index, Goa scores 0.366, which places it in the lower-mid tier compared to financial leaders like Odisha, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Although the state benefits from a strong tax base due to tourism and service sectors, it still struggles with optimising own-tax and non-tax revenue as a percentage of GSDP. Goa’s capital outlay and development expenditure as a share of GSDP are not competitive, and its budgetary efficiency lags behind similar small states like Sikkim and Tripura. This indicates underperformance in public investment planning and execution. Furthermore, the state’s pendency rate in budget execution highlights the need for better fiscal discipline and operational management.
In the SKOCH State of Government Transformation Index, Goa ranks low due to the lack of synergy between governance output and digital infrastructure. Since the Transformation Index is a composite of Governance and e-Governance performance, Goa’s limited project volume and digital service delivery restrict its transformational score. Unlike states like Telangana or Uttarakhand, which leverage digital innovations to improve service delivery and project impact, Goa hasn’t demonstrated sustained progress in aligning administrative reforms with technology-backed interventions.
The SKOCH State of Government Efficiency Index, combining Governance and Finance metrics, presents similar challenges. Goa’s efficiency score remains modest, far below high-performing states like Maharashtra (0.82) or Odisha (0.57). This low score indicates that despite having financial resources and moderate governance infrastructure, the state is not able to convert these into high-impact governance outcomes. This is particularly evident in sectors like urban governance, health, and infrastructure, where project interventions remain isolated rather than systemic.
Goa’s SKOCH State of Development Index score reflects a relatively better standing compared to its other indices yet still leaves room for significant improvement. The Development Index being a composite of Governance, e-Governance, and Finance captures a more holistic view, and here Goa performs slightly better due to its strong internet penetration and relatively balanced fiscal indicators. However, the lack of sectoral diversification and limited scalability of projects hold it back from climbing into the top ranks. Compared to similar tourist-driven economies like Himachal Pradesh or Uttarakhand, Goa has not leveraged its economic advantages to build institutional depth or digital public service capacity.
