Per capita income : Number one Bihar ; Gujarat at 11,Tamilnadu at 13

live Mint :Wed, Mar 06 2013. 12 20 PM IST

Should the country emulate the Nitish Kumar model of development? Or a Shivraj Singh Chauhan or a Oommen Chandymodel? Going by the growth in per capita income, why not have a Maharashtra or Prithiviraj Chavan growth model? The chart shows the growth in per capita net state domestic product at constant (2004-05) prices for the fiscal year 2011-12 of the 15 fastest growing states. Delhi and Union Territories have been kept out of the reckoning.

The chart shows that, during the past year, Bihar has been the most successful in improving the living standards of its residents. It was followed by Madhya Pradesh, while Kerala at number three was a surprise. Per capita incomes in Bihar are low, so it has the advantage of a lower base. But Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa and Sikkim have very high levels of per capita income.

The much-vaunted Gujarat model of development saw its per capita growth rank at number 11, a bit above Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is at number 13. And even West Bengal’s growth in per capita income was well above the national average.