Karnataka Ranks First On NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index Yet Again

Karnataka has retained its position as the most innovative state in the country as per think tank NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index.

“The state has achieved top ranking in the list released by NITI Aayog on Wednesday. The state is able to maintain the leading position despite new indicators were added as parameters this time, major being the expenditure by states on R&D and new business registration in the state,” said Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwatha Narayana, who also holds the Information Technology portfolio.

Modelled on the lines of the Global Innovation Index that the World Intellectual Property Organisation brings out, this is the second edition of the index, and Karnataka has managed to bag the top position for two years consecutively.

Maharashtra has stepped ahead of Tamil Nadu to occupy the second place followed by Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that make the top 10.

“It is indeed a proud moment for the State that Karnataka has been ranked as the Most Innovative Major State by the NITI Aayog India Innovation Index Report 2020. The fact that this is the second year in a row that Karnataka has been ranked as the Most Innovative shows that not only do we have the capability to reach the top, but also maintain that position of leadership. This is an achievement of the entire ecosystem – including multiple government departments, industry, academia and of course, our startups,” said Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T Dr E V Ramana Reddy.

The India Innovation Index evaluates India’s innovation readiness at a sub-national level, highlighting the obstacles that deter governments, businesses, and individuals from fully capturing the benefits of innovation.

It consists of thematic sections — the first talks about innovation and its ability to drive economic growth; the crucial role it plays in not only facilitating the country’s recovery but also sustaining competitiveness during these times. Apart from this, a comparison is drawn between India and select economies on various parameters to give an idea of how the country fares globally.

The next section lays out the unique framework of innovation and the methodology used to calculate the index, followed by key findings and rankings.

According to the think tank’s Chief Executive Officer Amitabh Kant, the index’s learning can be useful for formulating policies and devising strategies at both the state and the national levels. The index benchmarks the performance of the states and Union territories against their peers, to better understand the reasons for differential performance and the areas of strengths and weaknesses.