Karnataka tops 'Ease of Doing Business' rankings

Bengaluru: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the assessment of States and UTs under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2020, the fifth edition of the BRAP exercise, in New Delhi on Thursday.

In contrast to the previous years, where States/UTs were ranked, this year they are classified into four categories: Top Achievers, Achievers, Aspirers, and Emerging Business Ecosystems.

According to an official announcement issued on Thursday, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana are the top achievers in terms of Business Reforms Action Plan implementation.

Karnataka has bagged the "Top Achiever" position under the implementation of the Ease of Doing Business ranking of States/Union.

This is the state's "Best Performance" under EoDB since the inception of this assessment. Karnataka improved its position from 17th position to the "Top Achiever" along with Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, the official statement from the Ministry of Large and Medium Industries said.

Last year, after 100 per cent implementation of 187 reforms suggested by DPIIT, Karnataka faced a drastic fall in the State's ranking from 8th in 2017 to 17th position in 2019.

Commenting on the State's ranking, Murugesh R. Nirani, Minister for Large and Medium Industries said, "Karnataka is known for its industry-friendly policies and progressive reforms. The state is extensively working towards simplification of Government processes, as well as addressing feedback/ grievances."

The state rose up to this rank based on its ability to better implement varied reforms across areas ranging from EoDB, to Affidavit Based Clearance (ABC). Land reforms, Central Inspection System, Single-Window Clearances to Sectoral policies"

Dr E.V. Ramana Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Commerce and Industries Department, said, "Karnataka Udyog Mitra, the nodal agency for ensuring the implementation of EODB reforms in the state, has made immense efforts in ensuring the timely and effective implementation of recommendations made by DPIIT, GoI."

This has been achieved in due coordination and efforts by 30+ state departments that implemented reforms across 15 areas".