Gujarat has achieved the top rank in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking of the states and the union territories (UTs), according to the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2020 report released on Thursday.
“In this BRAP 2020 ranking announced by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Gujarat has become one of the only two states in the country in 100 per cent compliance with 301 reforms suggested by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT),” a statement issued by the Gujarat government said on Thursday.
The 301 reforms cover 15 business regulatory areas such as access to information, single window system, labour, environment, sectoral reforms and other reforms spanning across the life cycle of a typical business.
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel congratulated the concerned state departments for this achievement.
“Gujarat, which has 6% of the country’s geographical area and 5% of the total population, has been ahead of other states by contributing 8% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 18% to the industrial output. At the root of this are the entrepreneurship, trade and commerce skills of Gujarat and Gujaratis,” the statement also said.
It added that Gujarat contributes about 38% to the state’s GDP against the country’s manufacturing sector, which averages 18%.
Over 35 lakh Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Gujarat created a cost-effective production and a whole ecosystem of competitiveness in international markets.
Gujarat also became a preferred investment destination for foreign investment and the state alone accounted for one-fifth of the total foreign investment in India in recent months, Thursday’s statement also said.
The state government has so far eased the burden of complying with about 2,900 rules in services, including business and citizen-centric services.
Apart from Gujarat, six states- Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, were also recognised as top achievers in the Ease of Doing Business ranking, the BRAP 2020 report showed.
