Raipur, July 19 . The impact of investor-friendly policies, good governance, and administrative reforms under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai is becoming visible at the national level. In the Crisil-Niti Aayog Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) 2026, Chhattisgarh has secured first place among the country's 17 major states in two key investment parameters: regulatory ease and institutional environment. The state has secured second place in environmental resilience.

The Chief Minister's Office reported that Chhattisgarh received a total score of 47.5 in a joint assessment by CRISIL and NITI Aayog. The state ranks ninth among 17 large states in the overall ranking, but its performance on the most important parameters related to investor confidence is the best in the country. The state's growing investor confidence is also evident from the fact that investment proposals worth approximately ₹8 lakh crore have been received in the last 18 months. These include proposals related to future industries such as semiconductors, AI data centers, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and agro-processing.

According to IFI-2026, Chhattisgarh scored 8.4 out of 12 on the ease of regulation metric, higher than states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu. This is primarily due to the speedy processes for industrial approvals, NOCs, construction permits, electricity and water connections, and low compliance costs.

The state scored 4.5 out of 6 on the institutional environment metric. Chhattisgarh's superior performance on metrics such as quality of governance, policy consistency, prompt grievance resolution, and effective labor dispute resolution earned it the top spot in this category.

The state scored four out of five in environmental resilience, trailing only Tamil Nadu in this category. Its key strengths include improved preparedness for natural disasters and a safe industrial environment.

Chhattisgarh ranks third among large states in terms of resource availability. It is the second-largest coal and lignite producer in the country. It also scored 5.4 out of 7 on the financial health metric. The industrial sector's 52.8 percent share of the state's gross value added (GVA) indicates a strong industrial economy.

The state offers reliable electricity to industries at competitive rates, and women's workforce participation, at 58.1 percent, is significantly higher than the average for larger states. Legal costs associated with business closures are also among the lowest in the country.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai's government has further simplified the investment process by implementing reforms such as the Industrial Development Policy 2024-30, the Public Trust Act, and the Ease of Doing Business Act 2026. Construction of the country's first AI data center park in Naya Raipur is also progressing rapidly, positioning the state to become a new hub for the digital economy and emerging industries.