India, Jan. 21 -- Karnataka has maintained its top position among the major states' category in Niti Aayog's India Innovation Index rankings released on Wednesday. The federal policy think tank said innovation had become more important than ever to revitalise the economy in a post-pandemic world. Maharashtra leapfrogged Tamil Nadu to take second place in the rankings, followed by Telangana, Kerala, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Among Union territories, and Northeastern and hill states, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh took the top spots respectively. "Karnataka's rank is attributable to its substantive number of venture capital deals, registered geographical indicators and information and communications technology exports. Karnataka's high Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow has also enhanced the innovation capabilities of the state," a Niti Aayog report said. htc...