Oppn slams Govt for drop in ranking

BHUBANESWAR:  Ahead of the Make in Odisha conclave in November, the State Government has come under severe attack from the Opposition for continuous slide in ranking in the ease of doing business.Taking a swipe at Chief Minister Naveen Patanik, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said development of the State appears to be of least importance in the agenda of the ruling BJD.“Another feather on Naveen Patnaik’s hat! Odisha slips to 14th place from the already dismal 11th in ‘Ease of doing Business’. Looks like development of Odisha is none of BJD’s ‘business’, Niranjan tweeted.

Coming down heavily on the State Government, State BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said the ruling party’s claim of bringing reforms in the industrial sector sounds hollow as Odisha has slipped from 7th to 14th position in ease of doing business in the last three years.The State Government has miserably failed to create a business-friendly ecosystem. The down slide in the ranking proved that the regulatory environment is not conducive to start business and this is precisely the reason why MoU-signed companies are no more keen to invest in the State, he said.

Refuting the allegation, the State Government said the fall in ranking is a not a reflection of unfavourable business environment in the State.Odisha has already made significant strides in implementing ease of doing business reforms with the compliance percentage going up from 52.15 per cent in 2015 to 92.09 per cent in 2017, said Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra.“The highest score is 98 and we have achieved 92. Within a short band of just six points, 14 States have been clubbed. This means that we are not so low in ease of doing business, but all the States are competing and there is a favourable competitive environment,” Chopra said.

Noting that the State has seen a significant rise in attracting manufacturing projects, an official statement said more than 118 large projects with employment potential of 1,28,572 have been approved in the last four years alone. The recent ‘Invest India-World Bank’ survey on investment promotion preparedness had ranked Odisha as an ‘aspiring leader’ among 21 States. With the objective of attracting 2.5 lakh crore fresh investments and generating 30 lakh job opportunities as part of the Chief Minister’s Vision-2025, the Government is diversifying and broadening State’s industrial development, the statement said.