Ease of doing business: Naveen wants Odisha among top three states

Not satisfied with Odisha's modest seventh rank in a recent World Bank report on 'Ease of Doing Business', chief minister Naveen Patnaik is keen to position the state among the top three states.

"I would like our state to be ranked amongst the top three states in the country with respect to Ease of Doing Business. All concerned departments must learn from the good practices implemented by other states and expedite implementation of reforms, Patnaik said at a recent meeting on 'Ease of Doing Business'.

Pointing out that Odisha's ranking can improve upon introduction of more reforms, he instructed the chief secretary to monitor the implementation status of the reforms on a monthly basis. Patnaik also directed all concerned departments to implement the pending reforms by December 2015 and complete the next phase of reforms by February 2016. The chief minister would review the progress of reforms every two months.

Stressing on ground level implementation, Patnaik said: "It is important that these reforms are not just made on paper but also implemented by all concerned in true spirit. The industries department should carry out a third-party assessment to ascertain the quality of implementation in the field."

With his government drawing flak for slowing tempo in industrialisation, Patnaik has visibly turned serious in implementation of industrial projects.

In an earlier meeting held to review status of major industrial projects, the chief minister instructed the concerned officials to act boldly on implementation of projects. Any hurdle stalling project implementation should be brought to the notice of the cabinet, he stressed.

In the World Bank report released last month, Odisha was ranked seventh with 52.12 points in the ease of doing business among 32 states/Union territories.

The state has performed relatively better in setting up business, allotment of land and obtaining construction permits, complying with environment procedure, tax procedures and carrying out inspections.

Sanjeev Chopra, the state industries secretary has emphasised on implementation of next phase of reforms by energy, labour, industries, housing & urban development, law and revenue & disaster management departments.