Ease of living index (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2019 have launched by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. The indices designed to assess the quality of life of citizens in 100 Smart Cities and 14 other Million Plus Cities. Municipal Performance Index 2019, the Ministry sought to evaluate the performance of municipalities based on five enablers, namely Service, Finance, Planning, Technology, and Governance, which have been further divided into 20 sectors, which will be evaluated across 100 indicators. This will help Municipalities in better planning and management, filling the gaps in city administration, and improving the liveability of cities for its citizens. Ease of Living Index       Ease of Living Index aimed at providing a holistic view of Indian cities – beginning from the services provided by local bodies, the effectiveness of the administration, the outcomes generated through these services in terms of the liveability within cities, and, finally, the citizen perception of these outcomes. Ease of Living Index is namely a) generate information to guide evidence-based policy making b) catalyze action to achieve broader developmental outcomes including the SDG c) assess and compare the outcomes achieved from various urban policies and schemes and d)obtain the perception of citizens about their view of the services provided by the city administration. EoLI 2019 will facilitate the assessment of ease of living of citizens across three pillars: Quality of Life, Economic Ability, and Sustainability, which are further divided into 14 categories across 50 indicators.   All participating cities have appointed nodal officers whose responsibility is to collect and collate the relevant data points from various departments both within and outside of the ULB and upload the same along with supporting documents in the exclusive web portal designed for this purpose. This portal formally launched by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, on the 19 th of December 2019. There is a central helpdesk which is used by nodal officers to seek process-specific and indicator specific clarifications and assistance as and when required. Ease of Living Index Assessment, a Citizen Perception Survey is being conducted on behalf of the Ministry (which carries 30% of the marks of the Ease of Living Index). This is a very important component of the assessment exercise as it will help indirectly capturing the perception of citizens with respect to the quality of life in their cities. This survey, which is being administered both online and offline, has commenced from 1st February 2020 and will continue till 29th February 2020. The offline version involving face-to-face interviews will commence on the 1st of February and will run parallel to the on-line versions. The same is being promoted through bulk SMS push as well as extensive coverage in social media.
