Gujarat and Karnataka have been ranked as the best performers in developing startup ecosystem for budding entrepreneurs, according to the ranking of states and Union territories by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT).

Among smaller states having population of less than one crore, Meghalaya has been adjudged as the best performer.

The rankings are based on the initiatives taken to develop the startup ecosystem for promoting budding entrepreneurs.

For the third time in a row, Gujarat was ranked as the best performer.

The exercise is aimed at supporting states and Union territories (UTs) in developing their startup ecosystem and learning from each other's best practices.

A total of 24 states and 7 UTs participated in the exercise, which ranked them under five categories -- best performers, top performers, leaders, aspiring leaders and emerging startup ecosystems.

The states and UTs were also ranked under these five categories based on the population of less than one crore.

Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir were categorised as the top performers.

Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, and Goa are in the leaders category.

States and UTs in the aspiring leaders' category include Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagaland.According to the ranking, the emerging startup ecosystems category includes Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Mizoram and Ladakh.

They were evaluated across seven reform areas consisting of 26 action points, ranging from institutional support, fostering innovation, access to market, incubation and funding support.

DPIIT Secretary Anurag Jain said that the exercise plays a crucial role in easing the business environment for startups in the country.

The states' startup ranking 2021 was released by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal here.