Indian States at a Glance 2008-09: Performance, Facts and Figures presents information on the 29 states and 6 union territories of India in a set of 22 volumes. A compilation of the latest facts and figures, ranging from the basic socio-economic and demographic indicators to development parameters, these books also provide brief profiles of the states covering their history, culture, cuisine, handicrafts, places of tourist interest as well as an account of their performance vis-à-vis other states

Himachal Pradesh, nestled in the mountains of the north, has emerged—with its enhanced socio-economic standards—as a model state over the last decade. Citizens of this state enjoy a better per capita income and standard of living than those of the other hill states. With economic growth generally matching national trends, the state has a low poverty ratio of below 10 per cent. This became possible through innovations in agriculture, increasing industrial investment through special schemes, impressive power generation and distribution throughout the state, and, in recent times, a bid to attract the IT sector. Education and health parameters are better than in other states, though constraints of terrain still need to be overcome in some areas. Himachal Pradesh is a state that has shown that focusing on outcomes on the ground is more important than the outlays.