The Prime Minister has identified Ease of Doing Business as an important priority of the Government said Mr Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Mr Abhishek was speaking at the Annual Session 2018 organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi on 8th of April 2018. In his remarks he also mentioned that the recent jump by India in its rankings is the highest among all the countries in the Ease of Doing Business Indicators.

Several initiatives have been done by the Central and State Governments to facilitate ease of doing business according to Mr Abhishek. In recent past 14,000 reforms have been done by all the States combined to ensure procedures are streamlined said Mr Abhishek. There has been a general shift towards online systems which are robust and the Government is encouraging States to adopt online systems, mentioned Mr Abhishek.

One recent initiative as identified by Mr Abhishek was made in the recent Union Budget. Companies now do not need a separate PAN card as this used to take a week to process. The Government is also keenly aware of the difficulties faced by Exporters. To fast track export and import procedures, Customs introduced the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Program. This according to Mr Abhishek has helped many traders in their operations. The aim of the Government is to reach 7000 AEOs.

The aim of the Government is not only to encourage foreign investment but also Domestic Industry with Invest India promoting both, said Mr Abhishek. According to him Invest India is actively working with the States to strengthen Investor protection in the States. Mr Abhishek also mentioned the other initiatives taken by the Government to foster Ease of Doing Business. This includes the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Bill.  

In line with the Ease of Doing Business of Countries, for the States, the rankings are being done based on Public Feedback. Surveys were done across all the States and now the results are being evaluated. While this may take a longer time as acknowledged by Mr Abhishek it is in line with the global practice. 

Mr Abhishek also mentioned that the improvement of Ease of Doing Business is not a one off process but rather a continuous engagement. It takes time to consolidate the inputs of Industry and implement the reforms. Industry must continuously engage with the Government. He also believes that Industry must appreciate the work done till date and understand that changes will take some time. A spirit of cooperation between Industry and Government is vital according to him.

8 April 2018

New Delhi