New Delhi: Tamil Nadu has pipped Maharashtra and Gujarat to emerge as the top state in the Niti Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2022 which assesses the readiness of the states in terms of their export potential and performance.
Gujarat had topped the chart in the last two rankings.
The index released on Monday showed that Tamil Nadu with an overall score of 80.89 topped the third edition of rankings while Maharashtra with a score of 78.20 was second while Karnataka (76.36) was third.
Gujarat with a score of 73.22 was fourth, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala in that order in the ranking of coastal states, according to the government think tank’s report released on Monday. Among hilly/Himalayan states, Uttarakhand (59.13) has ranked at the top position. It is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in that order.
Haryana (63.65) topped the chart among the landlocked regions. It was followed by Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
In the category of union territories/small states, Goa (51.58) was ranked first. Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar and Ladakh were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
The index can be used by the regions to benchmark their performance against their peers and analyse potential challenges to develop better policy mechanisms to foster export-led growth at the sub-national level.
The ranking is based on four main pillars: policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem and export performance.
The index is also aimed at promoting competition among all states (coastal, landlocked, Himalayan and UTs) to bring about favourable policies, ease the regulatory framework, create necessary infrastructure and assist in identifying strategic recommendations for improving export competitiveness.
Speaking at the release of the report, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said that states are fundamental stakeholders in the country’s exports “because that is where the action is.” “Entire ecosystem for export happens in states,” he said adding the report will help in raising awareness about the subject.
He also said that the country needs to broad-base its exports.
Senior Advisor Sanjeet Singh said that most of the states have put in place a positive policy structure which is helping in promoting the country’s exports. The index was prepared in partnership with the Institute for Competitiveness (IFC).
FC Chairman Amit Kapoor said that the report evaluates the states and UTs on key parameters influencing the region’s export preparedness.
Talking about districts, the report added that out of the 680 districts which engage in exports, the top 100 districts contribute about 87 per cent of the total exports from India.
Among export districts, Jamnagar in Gujarat topped the chart. It was followed by Surat, Mumbai Suburban, Mumbai, Pune, Bharuch, Kanchipuram, Ahmedabad, Gautam Budha Nagar and Bengaluru Urban.
While Jamnagar is the hub of petroleum, Surat is the main centre for gems and jewellery, Singh said adding if we take out these two sectors, Pune will be at the top.
To promote exports, 674 districts have formed a District Export Promotion Committee, while 557 have formulated a District Export Action Plan. “Gujarat has the highest number of districts, 8, in the top 25 export districts in the country,” the report said.
