Punjab ranks among the top states where access to bare necessities of life was highest in 2018. Other states that figured on the list are Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Kerala, Gujarat, Goa, Mizoram and Sikkim. However, the states where the access was lowest are Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tripura.

According to the pre-Budget Economic Survey 2021, Punjab also figures on the list of states that logged considerable improvement in making potable water supply available to people.

In rural India, the highest access to bare necessities in 2018 was recorded in Punjab, Kerala, Sikkim, Goa and Delhi, while the lowest in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Manipur and Tripura.

The improvement is significantly higher in the rural areas, but variation in the access to bare necessities between rural and urban remained large. It was found that as compared to 2012, access to the bare necessities has improved across all states in 2018.

The improvement is widespread as they span each of the five dimensions — access to water, housing, sanitation, micro-environment and other facilities. Inter-state disparities in the access to bare necessities have declined in 2018 as compared to 2012 across rural and urban areas. This is because the states where the level of access was low in 2012 have gained relatively more between 2012 and 2018.

It was also found that the improved access has led to improvement in health and education indicators. However, while improvement in access to bare necessities is evident, disparities continue to exist between rural-urban, among income groups and also across states.