The western industrialised state of Maharashtra is tops in terms of overall competitiveness in the study conducted by NTU and The Business Times (BT). The findings were unveiled at a conference officiated by the Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

How do India's states stack up? According to the NTU-BT report, Maharashtra is tops in "overall competitiveness". Delhi is ranked second and Tamil Nadu, third, in the same category.

The study – known as the Business Times-NTU Annual Competitiveness Ranking and Policy Simulations of 35 Indian States and Union Territories – was derived from a study undertaken by NTU's Asia Research Centre (ARC). It is the first independent assessment of the competitiveness of Indian states and a timely response to the call by investors, businessmen and policymakers alike for a more in-depth understanding of India.

With one of the largest markets in the world, India is a country of great economic diversity, with huge variations between its states. Knowledge of these variations will be useful to those with business dealings in India.

More than 100 indicators
The study thus examined the economic, political, business and social environments, and reviewed the policy formulation and reform efforts by local Indian authorities to enhance their competitive edge. More than 100 relevant indicators were analysed from publicly available data.

NTU's Dr Nilanjan Sen, Dr Tan Kong Yam, Dr Tan Khee Giap and Dr Wu Wei unveiled the findings of the NTU-BT study at a conference held at the Ritz Carlton Millenia on 19 October, at which Minister for Education Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam was Guest-of-Honour. The conference was sponsored by Ascendas Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"With globalisation," says ARC Director Dr Tan Kong Yam, "it becomes increasingly important for us to understand and appreciate the different economies and their impact on the region and the world.

"Hence, NTU has taken proactive steps in setting up the Asia Research Centre to conduct research and provide insights into economic powerhouses such as China, India and the emerging and fast-growing economies of ASEAN."

At the conference, Minister Tharman said that Singapore was well placed to build knowledge and intelligence on India. "We will be the leading centre outside India for intelligence on political, business and market developments in India." He noted the key role played by local think tanks and NTU's ARC, which he observed had developed "a niche in regional competitiveness study".

The NTU-BT study is the second flagship project by the Asia Research Centre. The first, the Zaobao-NTU Annual Competitiveness Ranking of Mainland Chinese Economies, was launched at a conference in June this year.

© Corporate Communications Office