Gujarat climbs to second spot on ease of doing business list

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat registered an impressive rise in the ease of doing business (EoDB) rankings for 2020, which were announced on Thursday. In the last rankings announced in September 2020, Gujarat was placed 10th.
With an EoDB feedback score of 97.77%, Gujarat stands second among all states and union territories in the EoDB rankings. Andhra Pradesh, with a feedback score of 97.89%, took the top spot.
"In terms of feedback scores, Gujarat ranks second in the country. This is a jump of eight positions from the previous ranking. Gujarat is among the only two states that have 100% compliance on implementation of the 301 reforms," said Rahul Gupta, industries commissioner.
The rankings are based on the implementation of the business reform action plan (BRAP) 2020, conducted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Apart from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, the other states which have been classified as achievers include Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
A state government statement said that Gujarat is one of the two states in the country which have displayed 100% adherence to the 301 reform points listed in BRA. These cover 15 business regulatory areas, such as access to information, single window system, labour and land administration.
Chief minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the industries department and other allied departments for the accomplishment, saying that Gujarat continues to be a leading contributor to the country's economic development.
A CMO statement on Thursday said that despite having only 6% of the country's geographical area and 5% of the country's population, Gujarat's share in the country's GDP is 8% and Gujarat contributes 18% of India's industrial output. The statement added that about 100 of the Fortune 500 companies have their operations in Gujarat.
The aim of the EoDB exercise is to boost investor confidence, foster a business-friendly climate and augment the ease of doing business across the country.