The Fiscal Health Index 2026, released by NITI Aayog, scores 18 major states and 10 North Eastern and Himalayan states across five pillars — quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability. Odisha tops the rankings for the second consecutive year while Punjab ranks last with a score of just 12.4 out of 100. Karnataka and Telangana have been downgraded from Front Runner to Performer, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu have slipped into the Aspirational — the lowest — category on fiscal prudence. Chhattisgarh saw the sharpest single-year fall, its fiscal prudence score collapsing from 56 to 7.4 in one year. The report, which includes North Eastern states for the first time, warns that state government debt now accounts for nearly one-third of India's total general government debt. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Exclusive content, special privileges & more – Subscribe to ThePrint for Special benefits: https://theprint.in/subscribe/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with ThePrint » Subscribe to ThePrint: https://theprint.in/subscribe/ » Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3nCMpht » Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprintindia » Tweet us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theprintindia » Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprintindia » Find us on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/theprint » Subscribe to ThePrint on Telegram: https://t.me/ThePrintIndia » Find us on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2NMVlnB » Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3pEOta8