Hyderabad, Sep 14 (IANS): The World Bank has ranked Andhra Pradesh as the second best state in the country on ease of doing business after Gujarat, an official statement said.

The state has been ranked with a score of 70.12 percent below Gujarat which stands at the top with a score of 71.14 percent.

One year after the bifurcation of the state, Andhra Pradesh has made an impact through its investor-friendly initiatives, said a statement from the chief minister's office.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's vision and continuous push to transform Andhra Pradesh into the best investment destination through visits to countries like Singapore, Japan, and China, to the World Economic Forum at Davos as well as regular business meetings with industrialists and investors has made this possible, it added.

"We are now targeting the number one position. We will soon make it to the list of leaders by falling in the 76-98 point score card," the statement quoted Naidu as saying.

The report assesses implementation status of 98-point reform measures across the eight areas - setting up a business, allotment of land and obtaining construction permit, complying with environment procedures, complying with labour regulations, obtaining infrastructure related utilities, registering and complying with tax procedures, carrying out inspections and enforcing contracts.