Lok Sabha Question No. 2094 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-02
Subject: Ease of Doing Business Index
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Margani Bharat, Midhun Reddy, Reddeppa Nallakonda Gari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2094. TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 02 ND  AUGUST, 2023.

## EASE OF DOING BUSINESS INDEX

## 2094.  SHRI MARGANI BHARAT: SHRI P.V. MIDHUN REDDY: SHRI N. REDDEPPA:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state:

वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) whether the Government is aware that as per the latest data available with the World Bank,  India  ranks  62nd  in  Ease  of  Doing  Business,  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether there is State-wise estimates of the Ease of Doing Business Index;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether there has been an improvement from the ranking in 2019 as per the Government's estimates; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री सोम प्रकाश ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI SOM PARKASH)

- (a): India  ranks  63 rd  in  the  World  Bank's  Doing  Business  Report  (DBR),  2020 published last in October, 2019 before its discontinuation by the World  Bank. India's  rank  in  the  DBR  improved  from  142 nd   in  2014  to  63 rd in  2019, registering a jump of 79 ranks in a span of 5 years.
- (b) & (c): In order to have  a  continuous  evaluation  framework, Department  for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) initiated a dynamic reform exercise  called  Business  Reforms Action  Plan  (BRAP)  for  assessment  of business environment in the States/Union Territories (UTs).

Under BRAP, States and UTs are assessed on the basis of implementation of designated  reform  parameters  contained  in  the  Action  Plan.  BRAP  covers both the Business-centric and Citizen-centric reforms spread across various reform areas. Some of the reform areas are Investment Enablers, Access to Information and Transparency, Online Single Window System, Land Allotment, Construction  Permits  Enablers,  Labour  Regulation  Enablers, Environment  Registration  Enablers, Inspection  Enablers,  Obtaining  Utility Permits, Contract Enforcement, Citizencentric Certificates, Public Distribution System, Healthcare, etc.

Till  date  five  editions  of  BRAP  (2015, 2016,  2017-18,  2019  and  2020)  have been  completed  and  States/UTs  have  been  assessed  accordingly.  The assessment  under BRAP, 2022 (i.e., the sixth edition) is in its final stage.

- (d) & (e): Reform  initiatives  continued  even  after  discontinuation  of  the  World  Bank's Report in 2019. DPIIT coordinated with Ministries/Departments and States/UTs for initiatives to reduce compliance burden on citizen and business activities. The objective of this exercise is to improve Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living by Simplifying, Rationalizing, Digitizing and Decriminalizing Government to Business and Citizen Interfaces across Ministries/States/UTs. The key focus areas of the initiative are:
- i. Simplification of procedures related to applications, renewals, inspections, filing  records, etc.
- ii. Rationalization of legal provisions, by repealing, amending or omission of  redundant laws,
- iii. Digitization of government processes by creating online interfaces, and
- iv. Decriminalization of minor, technical or procedural defaults.

Regulatory Compliance (RC) Portal has been developed for tracking action taken by  Ministries/  Departments  and  States/UTs  to  reduce  compliance burden.  As  per  the  data  provided  by  all  the  Ministries/  Departments  and States/UTs on RC Portal, more than 40,000 compliances have been reduced and more than 3500 provisions have been decriminalised. All these initiatives have  thus  contributed  and  will  go  a  long  way  in  improvement  of  business environment in the country.

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