Giving a thumbs up to BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi ahead of the general elections, Gujarat tops the list of states in terms of economic freedom, improving its position from the 5th place in 2005. Gujarat is not only the freest state, but it has also registered the fastest rate of improvement (from 0.46 to 0.65). The second fastest improver is Andhra Pradesh (from 0.40 to 0.50),” said the report on Economic Freedom of the States of India (EFSI)- 2013. The report, jointly authored by economists Ashok Gulati, Bibek Debroy, Laveesh Bhandari and journalist Swaminathan Aiyar, is based on an index which takes into account parameters like size of the government, legal structure and security of property rights and regulation of business and labour. The biggest improvement has been recorded by Chhattisgarh, which has moved up from 16th to 8th position. Rajasthan is another state that has shown much improvement, moving up from 12th to 7th position. On the other hand, Punjab’s rank has slipped substantially, from 6th to 13th position.

(Economic Times)