The Odisha government has termed the ranking on state business reforms released by the Centre on Saturday as dated.

The State Business Reform Assessment 2018-19 ranked states in terms of pace of reforms. Odisha's rank dropped 15 positions compared to the previous report. It was the sharpest downward movement among all states.

Odisha said the ranking referred to business reforms undertaken by the government in 2018. "Over the past two years, a significant number of reforms have been implemented by various state government departments in the state,' a statement said.

It further said the conducive business environment in Odisha was clearly reflected in the investments received by the state during the past two years. During April-September, 2019, Odisha became the top investment destination in the country after it attracted the highest amount of investments, nearly 18 per cent of the total received by the country, the statement said.