‘Best performer’ Gujarat retained its top position in the Commerce and Industry Ministry’s 2019 ranking of States for providing support to the start-up ecosystem.

Andaman & Nicobar led in the second category of ‘Union Territories and North-Eastern States’ and also earned the title of ‘best performer’ for the year, according to the States’ Start-up Ranking Framework 2019, released on Friday. All UTs, except Delhi, and all North-East States , other than Assam, were ranked in the second category.

Top performers

Karnataka and Kerala were recognised as ‘top performers’ for their focussed and dedicated initiatives across all pillars of the start-up ranking exercise, while Bihar, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan were ‘leaders’, with well-established support systems.

“The States’ Start-up Ranking Framework 2019 has seven broad reform areas consisting of 30 action points ranging from institutional support, easing compliances, relaxation in public procurement norms, incubation support, seed funding support, venture funding support, and awareness and outreach,” according to a Commerce Industry Ministry statement.

 

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Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal highlighted the importance of adequate funding for start-ups and said that mutual/pension funds, insurance companies, high networth individuals and the larger industry, too, should consider participating in the exciting journey start-ups are taking. “While the Government of India, through its start-up fund of funds operationalised through SIDBI, continues to support the start-up ecosystem, I am delighted to see many States and PSUs coming forward with dedicated funds to support the start-ups,” he added. The Minister said that Centre and States, coming together in the spirit of cooperation, collaboration and competition to promote start-ups, is an important development.

In the rankings for 2018, Gujarat was at the top followed by Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha and Kerala.

60,000 calls, 11 languages

In the 2019 ranking exercise, 22 States and three UTs participated. “An evaluation committee comprising independent experts from the start-up ecosystem carried out a detailed assessment of responses across various parameters. Many parameters involved getting feedback from beneficiaries that were gathered through more than 60,000 calls made in 11 languages to empathetically connect with beneficiaries, to ascertain the real pulse at the implementation levels,” the statement said.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra said the start-up ecosystem in the country had created over 4 lakh jobs. He said that the ranking is an example of cooperative federalism, which will help in capacity building in the States.