Andhra, Telangana Pip Gujarat To Top ‘Ease Of Doing Business’ Rankings

Chandrababu Naidu-led Andhra Pradesh and KC Rao-led Telangana have displaced Gujarat from the top in the latest ‘Ease of doing business’ rankings, jointly conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the World Bank.

Telangana and Andhra both are tied with a score of 98.78, followed by Gujarat, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.

Last year, Gujarat had topped the rankings. This year’s best performer, Telangana stood at 13 last year. Haryana also improved its score drastically. It scored a paltry 40 per cent in 2015. This year, the state got 96.95 per cent, propping itself into top five club. (since Andhra and Telangana are both tied at the top spot)

DIPP rates states on the basis of the extent of their implementation of its 340-point Business Reform Action Plan, which lists out reform recommendations on 58 regulatory processes, policies and practices across 10 areas.

Almost all states have improved their scores. This is reflected in the national average which increased from 32 per cent last year to 48.93 per cent in 2016.

However, some states continue to be laggards. The scores of Delhi, Kerala, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir remain below national average.