Bhubaneswar: Odisha has slipped to the ‘aspiring leader’ category in the fifth edition of the States’ Startup Ranking, which was published on Friday. The ranking, undertaken by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), had placed the state in the ‘top performer’ category in the previous edition (2022).As per the latest ranking, Odisha shares space with Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Tripura and Mizoram. In the list topped by Gujarat, there are three states among the ‘best performers’, five ‘top performers’ and 11 in the ‘leader’ category, all placed above Odisha’s ‘aspiring leader’ segment.In the fourth edition, only Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh were above Odisha.The latest ranking is Odisha’s lowest since the inception of the exercise. In the 2021 edition, the state was among the five top performer states, while in 2019 it figured among the top-five leader states. In the inaugural ranking in 2018, Odisha was among the four top performer states.State officials attributed the downturn to a delay in submitting requisite data to DPIIT, insisting that it does not reflect any substantive weakening of the startup ecosystem. Prasanth Kumar Reddy, secretary, micro, small and medium enterprises and chairman of Startup Odisha, said, “We will analyse the reasons why the ranking fell and take necessary steps to remove bottlenecks if any.”Rasmita Panda, chief executive officer, Startup Odisha, said the data pertains to Jan 2023 to Nov 2024. Work for a few months during this period was affected due to the model code of conduct in place for elections. “We took several initiatives after that and are striving hard to drastically improve the ecosystem. The outcome should be reflected in the next round of ranking,” Panda said.DPIIT, in its report, noted that Odisha was among the states that did not provide adequate details on active policies or programmes supporting young entrepreneurs. It, however, acknowledged that Odisha has taken several initiatives, including the establishment of a bilingual state startup portal to improve accessibility, introduction of inclusive entrepreneurship policies for SC/ST communities, women and persons with disabilities, and financial and policy support for setting up new physical and virtual incubators.It suggested that the state could strengthen support for startups working in public welfare and social impact sectors through dedicated schemes. It also recommended expanding structured support for student entrepreneurs by enhancing programmes and incubation facilities within educational institutions.Satwik Swain, secretary general, Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises, said more concerted efforts are needed to uplift the startup ecosystem. “After a good start, somehow it did not take off like many other states. The biggest challenge is to attract innovators,” he said.
