Ease of Doing Business: Gujarat among the top three states

- Gujarat's excellent performance in the implementation of Business Reforms 2020: Center

- Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. Region Achievers: Assam, Kerala, Goa in Aspire category

- Ranking aims to boost investor confidence and create a conducive environment for trade: DPIIT

- Top three include Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

New Delhi: Gujarat has excelled in terms of ease of doing business and business reforms in the country and has been ranked among the top three states in the central government's 'Ease of Doing Business'. The other two top states in the ranking are Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaram said. He added that Gujarat has also done very well in implementing the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2020 report.

Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab and Tamil Nadu are among the top eight states in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. In this ranking, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are also classified as Achievers. The Aspire category of this ranking includes seven states including Assam, Kerala and Goa. Other states in this category include Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

According to the report, 11 states and union territories, including Delhi, Puducherry and Tripura, have been placed in the category of emerging business ecosystems. Other states in this category include Andaman and Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. The implementation of the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) is aimed at boosting investor confidence and creating a conducive environment for trade. At the same time, healthy competition across the country is to be enhanced through the state's assessment system based on their performance in the implementation of the scheme.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the purpose of the BRAP study was to promote a culture of learning from each other's best practices. To improve the business environment in each state with a unified objective to emerge as the most preferred investment destination for India in the world. The process started in 2013 has started bearing fruit. There has been a lot of ease in doing business. Instead of being confined to certain regions, some cities and some businesses, we are reflecting this across the country through the spirit of rival federalism.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has replaced the previous ranking system with a category-based ranking system this time, which includes Top Achievers, Achievers, Aspires and Emerging Business Ecosystems.

BRAP 2020 includes 301 amendments covering 12 business regulatory areas. 114 new amendments have been made to strengthen the reform process.

Sectoral reforms have been made with nine action points in nine sectors, namely Trade Lions, Healthcare, Legal Metrology and Cinema Halls, said Anurag Jain, secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). He added that they have been placed in different categories as there is very little difference between different states in the rankings.