By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 31, 2016 : Odisha has slipped to 11th position in the ‘Ease of Doing Business Reforms Ranking 2015-16’ conducted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and the World Bank.

In the list of 32 States and Union territories, Gujarat has slipped to the third position while Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana occupied the fourth, fifth and sixth slots in the index based on the degree of implement
ation of the government’s 340-point Business Reform Action Plan.

Odisha has secured 92.73%, while Andhra Pradesh and Telengana emerged as joint topper in list with 98.78%.

The 2016 Index shows those in the list of top 10 States providing a better climate for businesses include Jharkhand (7th), Rajasthan (8th), Uttarakhand (9th) and Maharashtra (10th). Odisha is followed by Punjab, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

The assessment studies the extent to which states have implemented DIPP’s 340-point Business Reform Action Plan, in the period between July 2015 and June 2016.

The Plan includes recommendations for reforms on 58 regulatory processes, policies and practices spread across 10 reform areas spanning the lifecycle of a typical business.

Data was collected from states on a real-time basis as reflected on the Business Reform Action Plan portal. Thirty-two states and Union territories submitted evidence of having implemented 7,124 reforms. These submissions were reviewed by the World Bank team and validated by DIPP’s team to study whether they met the objectives of the Plan. A total of 6,069 reforms were approved as having been implemented.

“The results of the assessment demonstrate that states have increasingly risen to addressing the challenge of making it easier to do business. The national implementation average stands at 48.93%, significantly higher than last year’s national average of 32%,” a DIPP statement said.

The latest ranking of Odisha at 11th position among the major states in regard to ‘Ease of Doing Business’ comes as shock to the state government which is gearing up for the much hyped ‘Make In Odisha’ conclave to begin here from November 30 apparently to attract investment to the state.