Andhra tops Ease of Doing Business ranking, followed by UP, Telangana

The ranking was released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Andhra Pradesh maintained its top position in ease of doing business ranking 2019 and was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, said the government on Saturday.

The top ten best performing states are Andhra Pradesh, UP, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Gujarat. Among the five demarcated zones — Uttar Pradesh topped the ranking from North India, Jharkhand from East, Madhya Pradesh from West, Andhra Pradesh from South, and Assam from North East. Among Union Territories, Delhi got the top spot.

The 'State of Business Reform Action Plan Ranking' was released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a virtual function attended by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Parameters for the rankings include areas construction permit, labour regulation, environmental registration, access to information, land availability and single-window system.

"Some states have shown extraordinary energy in putting together action plans and making sure that reforms happen. States have embraced the true spirit behind the State Business Reforms Action Plan," said Sitharaman.

Commerce Minister Goyal said, “The central government has been making efforts to streamline business regulation through a single-window system, labour law reforms, reforms in Disputes Act etc. to make doing business quick and economical.”

“India’s commitment to reforms is evident from the steady climb from 142nd rank in 2014 to 63rd rank in 2019 in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking,” he said. 

The rankings were scheduled to be announced in March, but had to be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.