Goa is the safest state for women; Bihar, Delhi are not

There are no surprises here. A report released by the women and child development ministry has declared Goa as the safest state for women and Delhi as one of the most unsafe places. 

The findings of the first-ever gender vulnerability index (GVI) are expected to help identify the challenges women across India face in various states in terms of education, health, poverty and protection against violence. The findings are supposed to help policymakers in chalking out a plan to safeguard the fairer gender. 

Goa is at the top position, followed by Kerala, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur. States, where women are most vulnerable, are Bihar, Jharkhand, UP and Delhi. 

According to the report, Goa's GVI is 0.656, more than the national average of 0.5314. The index scores are on a scale of zero to one. The closer the score is to one, the better the performance. Kerala's GVI stands at 0.634 and at the bottom of the table is Bihar with a GVI of 0.410. 

Delhi ranks at 28 with a GVI score of 0.436 due to its infamous track record in the field of education and protection. Jharkhand ranks at 27, ahead of Delhi with GVI score of 0.450 while UP's GVI score is 0.434. The study was based on 170 indicators including the Census 2011.