Law Notify, January 14, 2026 : NITI Aayog on Wednesday released the Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024, offering a detailed assessment of how prepared India’s states and union territories are to drive export-led growth. The Index was unveiled in New Delhi, where NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer BVR Subrahmanyam underlined that India’s export performance is increasingly shaped by the preparedness of states and districts rather than national policy alone.
Addressing the media, Subrahmanyam said that strengthening export infrastructure, improving cost competitiveness, building strong institutional frameworks, and ensuring predictable and transparent policy environments are critical to sustaining export momentum. He also emphasised that enhancing export readiness at the sub-national level is essential for long-term economic growth, employment generation, reduction of regional imbalances, and deeper integration into global value chains, especially at a time of rising global uncertainty.
The Export Preparedness Index 2024 is built on four broad pillars, which are further broken down into 13 sub-pillars. The latest edition shows that Maharashtra, along with Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, are the top performers among large states. In the category covering small states, northeastern states and union territories, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Goa have emerged as leading performers.
According to NITI Aayog, the Index offers an evidence-based framework to assess the strength, resilience and inclusiveness of export ecosystems across states and districts. It also identifies key structural challenges, growth drivers and policy opportunities that can help enhance export competitiveness at the sub-national level, while recognising the diversity of regional economic structures and their importance in advancing India’s global trade ambitions.