As per the survey, which ranks states on the basis of developing startup ecosystem for the budding entrepreneurs, Odisha stood ahead of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Gujarat topped the chart, bagging the title of “Best Performer” state.

A total of 27 states and three union territories participated in the exercise. The DIPP consulted stakeholders of the startup ecosystem and came up with seven key reform areas as the basis of the ranking. An online portal was launched to help states submit their initiatives across the reform areas.

According to a PIB press release, states have been identified as leaders across various categories such as startup policy leaders, incubation hubs, seeding innovation, scaling innovation, regulatory change champions, procurement leaders, communication champions, North-Eastern leader, and hill state leader,

On the basis of performance in these categories, the States have been recognised as the Best Performer, Top Performers, Leaders, Aspiring Leaders, Emerging States and Beginners.

“The entire exercise was conducted in essence for capacity development and to further the spirit of cooperative federalism. Awareness workshops in all states, knowledge workshops in leading incubators, pairing of states for intensive mentoring, international exposure visits to the US and Israel and intensive engagement between states with the Startup India team helped many states initiate effective measures to support startups,” a DIPP statement said.

Best Performer:
Gujarat

Top Performers:
Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Rajasthan

Leaders:
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana

Aspiring Leaders:
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal

Emerging States:
Assam, Delhi, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand

Beginners:
Chandigarh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, and Tripura