Tamil Nadu Tops Coastal States In NITI Aayog's Export Preparedness Index

Tamil Nadu has emerged as the top state among coastal states in the Niti Aayog's Export Preparedness Index 2022, surpassing Maharashtra, Karnataka and Gujarat.

The aim of the index is to assess the export potential and performance readiness of the states.

According to the report released by the government think tank on Monday (17 July), Tamil Nadu is ranked first among coastal states, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Kerala.

Uttarakhand has secured the top position among hilly/Himalayan states in the index. It is followed by Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram.

Haryana ranked first among the landlocked regions, followed by Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

Goa took the top spot in the category of union territories/small states, with Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, and Ladakh ranking second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The index provides regions with a tool to assess their performance compared to their peers and identify potential challenges in order to develop better policy mechanisms for promoting export-led growth at the sub-national level.

The ranking is based on four key pillars: policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem, and export performance.

The index aims to foster competition among all states, including coastal, landlocked, Himalayan, and union territories, to encourage favorable policies, streamline regulations, build necessary infrastructure, and generate strategic recommendations for enhancing export competitiveness.

During the release of the report, BVR Subrahmanyam, the CEO of NITI Aayog, emphasised the importance of states in the country's exports.

“Entire ecosystem for export happens in states,” he said adding the report will help in raising awareness about the subject, reports The Indian Express.

Subrahmanyam also highlighted the need for the country to diversify its exports, and expressed his belief that the report would contribute to raising awareness on this matter.