Karnataka is now ranked as the most innovative state leaving behind Tamil Nadu and Maharastra. The research found that Karnataka had done well in terms of innovative capability and policy changes opportunities in the state.
Most innovative state
According to the India Innovation Index, which was released by NITI Aayog on October 17, 2019, Karnataka was found doing well in terms of innovation capability, with policy changes driving opportunities in the state. It is an outcome of extensive research and analysis, which looks at the innovation landscape by examining the capabilities and performance of Indian states and union territories.
Beneath Karnataka, the other states that stand under the top 10 are Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Andhra.
| Top 10 States | Rank | Enablers Rank | Performance Rank |
| KARNATAKA | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| TAMIL NADU | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| MAHARASHTRA | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| TELANGANA | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| HARYANA | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| KERALA | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| UTTAR PRADESH | 7 | 15 | 5 |
| WEST BENGAL | 8 | 11 | 6 |
| GUJARAT | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| ANDHRA PRADESH | 10 | 8 | 10 |
Most innovative Union territories
Talking about Union territories Delhi and Sikkim have secured top scores among UT and North-Eastern hill state lists respectively. The following index has been created using parameters including human capital, investment, knowledge workers, business environment, safety, and legal environment, knowledge output and knowledge diffusion. In attractive investment and knowledge diffusion, Karnataka was at the top spot.
| Union Territories/City-states/Small States
| Rank | Enablers Rank | Performance Rank |
| Delhi | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Chandigarh | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Goa | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Puducherry | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Daman & Diu | 6 | 7 | 3 |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| Lakshadweep | 8 | 6 | 8 |
The index also makes a shocking revelation that the innovation ecosystem of the country is strong in the south and western parts of India. Three of the top five major states are from southern India. “For a country as large as India, the state of innovation needs to be understood at the regional level for effective policy formulation. A system just at the national level is not sufficient. Each state needs to formulate its policy, based on its unique resources and strengths and which caters to the specific needs,” a report read.
“The index will be useful to states and Union territories by benchmarking their performance against their peers to understand the reason for differential performance and device better strategies towards creating an environment that fosters innovation, said Niti Aayog’s CEO Amitabh Kant.
