Chandigarh: From the third highest per capita income in the country in 2013-14, the city slipped to the fourth position after a gap of a decade in 2023-24. As per the information shared by the ministry of finance in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, the per capita net state domestic product (NSDP) at constant prices of Chandigarh stood at Rs 1,80,615 in 2013-14. It increased at a rate of 42% over a decade to Rs 2,56,912 in 2023-24.Goa, which has the highest per capita income in the country, had a per capita income of Rs 1,88,358, only marginally higher than Chandigarh in 2013-14. However, in the next decade, its per capita income grew at a rate of 89.9%, and in 2023-24, it stood at Rs 3,57,611, leaving Chandigarh far behind.Sikkim, which was way behind Chandigarh in terms of per capita income in 2013-14, grew at a rate of 73.1% between 2013-14 and 2023-24. It increased its per capita income from Rs 1,68,897 to Rs 2,92,339, pushing Chandigarh down the ladder in the race for higher income.Chandigarh continues to perform better than the neighbouring states – Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, in terms of per capita income. However, its growth rate in the decade from 2013-14 to 2023-24 was higher than only Punjab, which saw a growth rate of 39%.“The differences in the increase in per capita income may be attributed to a range of factors such as varying levels of economic development, sectoral composition, structural disparities, and differences in governance mechanisms, among others,” said a UT official.Notably, Chandigarh has seen the migration of industry, mainly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) units, over the years to neighbouring Panchkula and Mohali. “Ownership laws, ease of doing business, building bylaws, and land prices are more congenial to growth in these cities. Consequently, industry has moved to these areas over the years,” said the official.
