BHUBANESWAR, India | 28th August 2020: In the first-ever Export Preparedness Index (EPI) prepared by NITI Aayog for Indian states, Odisha has secured 5th position among 36 states and Union Territories because of its enabling export ecosystem such as trade support and export infrastructure.
The Index, which has been prepared to examine export ecosystem of Indian states and study export preparedness, places Odisha at 5th position with an EPI score of 58.23 and has categorised it as an over-performing state, with the scope of improvement in certain areas such as Transport Connectivity and Export Finance.
The other states which are above Odisha in the EPI score are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, respectively .
The state of Odisha has witnessed rapid transformation in the past decade in terms of industrialisation and has been able to attract huge investments from domestic as well global investors. Even during pandemic-hit period, Odisha has been able to secure maximum investment this year.
Commenting on the EPI report, Shree Asit Tripathi, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, said, “The report released by NITI Aayog on export preparedness of Odisha is encouraging. Odisha has done well in major parameters and is poised to become the manufacturing hub of Eastern India. We aim to be among top three in all key parameters.”
Among eight coastal states of India, which have higher than average export preparedness score according to the report, Odisha is at top four position, leaving behind states such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
In a meeting held yesterday with the Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Piyush Goyal, state Industries Minister, Shri Dibya Shankar Mishra highlighted the achievement of Odisha.
“It is a matter of great pride that Odisha is one of the top five states in the country in the Export Preparedness Index, surpassing traditionally few other industrialised developed coastal states to achieve this accolades,” said Shri Dibya Shankar Mishra in a statement.
Strong Export Ecosystem
The NITI Aayog praised the initiatives of the Government of Odisha in creating an export enabling ecosystem. In this category, Odisha secured second rank next to Maharashtra, because of solid performance in Trade Promotion score, which indicates the role of state in facilitating exports.
Lauding the efforts of the State Government, the central policy frame-working agency said, “Odisha has performed well in terms of providing trade support. The state has conducted 24 capacity building workshops to provide exposure to traders which guides the latter into adopting best practices in exports. Furthermore, it’s one of the top five states in terms of strengthening its research and development infrastructure.”
In terms of export policy and ecosystem sub-parameters, Odisha has been labeled as an over-performing state with scores of 71.29 and 65.94, respectively out of 100.
The Economic Survey of Odisha for 2019-20 has pointed out that the export of goods from Odisha in the last five financial years has shown an increasing trend except for 2015-16 and 2018-19 fiscal year.
During the last financial year, the state exported goods worth Rs 47,619.6 crore, down from Rs 52,677.09 crore in 2017-18.
