Lok Sabha Question No. 1643 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-10
Subject: Ease of Doing Business
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Smt. Bharti Pardhi, Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shri Ravindra Dattaram Waikar, Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske, Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne

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

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1643.

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 10 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026.

## EASE OF DOING BUSINESS

## 1643.  DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SMT. BHARTI PARDHI:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA CHANDU BARNE:

SHRI VISHALDADA PRAKASHBAPU PATIL:

SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE:

SHRI RAVINDRA DATTARAM WAIKAR:

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

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) the details of the India's latest performance in global Ease of Doing Business benchmarks or comparable investment climate indices along with the details of the ranking and performance trend under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) index since its inception, State-wise;
- (b) the details of the compliances that have been reduced or eliminated under the Ease of Doing Business initiatives in the last five years;
- (c) the details of the measures that have been undertaken by the Government to promote  decriminalisation  of  minor  business  offences,  reduce  regulatory overlaps, and eliminate redundant compliances;
- (d) the details of the steps that have been taken by the Government under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) to promote competitive federalism and support State-level business reforms; and
- (e) whether the Government is considering to introduce a National Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Dashboard integrating investor grievance redressal and realtime approval tracking, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a): In the last 5 years, India have improved by 79 ranks in EoDB rankings published by World Bank Group as Doing Business Report. As per the latest DBR ranking published in 2019, India ranked at 63.

Following  the  discontinuation  of  the  DBR  Report  in  2020,  the  World  Bank launched the B-Ready Assessment in 2024 to evaluate 180+ countries over three years across 10 topics spanning the entire business lifecycle: Business Entry, Business Location, Utility Services, Labor, Financial Services, International  Trade,  Taxation,  Dispute  Resolution,  Market  Competition,  and Business Insolvency. India is to be part of the Third B-Ready Report, schedule to release in 2026.

With a view to improve India's business climate, attract investments, and foster economic  growth,  Department  for  Promotion  of  Industry  and  Internal  Trade (DPIIT) has  launched  several  initiatives  including  Business  Reforms  Action Plan  (BRAP) under the overall umbrella initiative of Ease of Doing Business.

BRAP  initiative  was  launched  in  2014  by  the  Department  for  Promotion  of Industry  and  Internal  Trade  (DPIIT).  It  focuses  on  streamlining  regulations, reducing compliance burdens, and implementing digital solutions to improve the  business  environment  in  India.  Key  reforms  include  establishing  single window  systems,  simplifying building permissions, enhancing  inspection procedures, and digitizing various business processes. These reforms aim to make  India  a  more  attractive  destination  for  both  domestic  and  foreign investment.

So far, seven editions of BRAP (2015, 2016, 2017-18, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024) have been completed, wherein States/UTs have been assessed. The seventh edition, BRAP 2024, is currently in progress. Over 9,700 reforms have been carried  out  across  States  and  Union  Territories.  State/UT  Ranking  on Ease of Doing Business since inception are annexed .

- (b): Under the  Regulatory  Compliance  Burden  (RCB)  initiative,  launched  by  the Government of India in 2020, Central Ministries/Departments and States/UTs undertook a self-identification exercise to reduce burdensome compliances for businesses  and  citizens.  As  a  result,  over  47,000  compliances  have  been reduced during the last five years.

Of the total compliances reduced:

-  16,109 compliances were simplified,    22,287 compliances were digitized,
-  4,623 compliances were decriminalized, and
-  4,270 compliances were eliminated by removal of redundant and duplicative requirements.

Further, under the RCB+ initiative, 4,846 compliances have been reduced out of  6,262  identified  compliances  across  23  Acts  commonly  implemented  by States/UTs.

- (c): The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 was passed in both Houses of the Parliament (Lok Sabha on 27th July 2023, Rajya Sabha on 02nd August 2023) and received President's Assent on 11th August 2023. The Act decriminalizes  183  provisions  under  42  Acts  administered  by  19  Ministries/ Departments.

The  Act  employs  various  approaches  to  decriminalization,  including  the removal of both imprisonment and fines, conversion of imprisonment and/or fine into penalties, and the introduction of compounding of offenses in certain cases. DPIIT on recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee initiated the process  of  further  identifying  minor  criminal  provisions  to  be  compiled  for another common amendment bill.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendments of Provisions) Bill, 2025 was approved by the Union Cabinet on 12.08.2025 and was subsequently laid before the Lok Sabha on 18 August 2025. Thereafter, the Bill was referred to the Select Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Tejasvi Surya. At present, the Bill is under examination by the said Committee.

This  exercise  builds  on  the  success  of  the  Jan  Vishwas  (Amendment  of Provisions) Act, 2023 by expanding the reform agenda to cover 16 Central Acts administered by  10  Ministries/Departments.  A  total  of  355  provisions  are proposed to be amended 288 provisions decriminalized to foster Ease of Doing Business,  and  67  provisions  proposed  to  be  amended  to  facilitate  Ease  of Living.

To systematically reduce regulatory overlaps and eliminate redundant compliances, the Government adopted a multi-stage institutional and analytical approach under the RCB initiative. Key measures undertaken include:

-  Conducting self-identification exercises by Central Ministries/Departments and States/UTs to identify overlapping, obsolete and duplicative compliances, which led to the identification of over 47,000 compliances for review.
-  Analytical mapping by DPIIT of more than 42,000 reduced compliances across over 670 unique Acts to identify common regulatory provisions and overlapping compliance requirements across States/UTs.
-  Identification  of  23  Acts  under  which  more  than  10  States/UTs  had undertaken compliance reduction, and inclusion of these Acts under the RCB+ initiative for focused harmonisation and rationalisation.
-  Review of 6,262 compliances under these Acts, resulting in the reduction of 4,846 compliances, thereby addressing inter-State and intra-regulatory duplication.

These measures have enabled elimination of redundant compliances, reduction of regulatory overlaps, and harmonisation of regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions.

- (d): The Government of India has undertaken a series of comprehensive reforms under the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP), which cut across critical areas such  as  Labour,  Environment,  Land  Administration,  and  Taxation.  These measures have significantly reduced both turnaround time and cost for setting up and operating businesses in the country. The intent of the Government is clear-to create a favorable and enabling environment for enterprises, thereby strengthening India's position as an attractive investment destination.

BRAP,  true  to  its  dynamic  nature,  has  continuously  evolved  to  incorporate additional  reforms,  focus  sectors,  and  the  adoption  of  Information  and Communication Technology (ICT) for delivering quality and efficient services to businesses. The reforms include initiatives such as online delivery of services through single-window systems, simplified environmental clearances, digitized registrations and renewals, and streamlined processes for utility connections. Furthermore, digital integration has been extended to the creation of land banks and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for industrial parks, integrated with the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), which provides comprehensive investorrelated information.

In addition to BRAP, the Government has introduced key initiatives such as Reducing Compliance Burden (RCB), Decriminalization of business laws, and the National Single Window System (NSWS). These initiatives are designed to provide further impetus to ease of doing business in India. The Government remains determined to build an investment-friendly ecosystem that supports both  domestic  and  foreign  investments,  with  a  strong  focus  on  removing sectoral hurdles and establishing multiple investment hubs across the nation.

- (e): The  Department  for  Promotion  of  Industry  and  Internal  Trade  (DPIIT)  has operationalized  the  National  Single  Window  System  (NSWS)  to  facilitate clearances and approvals for businesses. At present, registered businesses are able to track the status of their applications through the Investor Dashboard, which provides visibility into approval status and enables monitoring of progress in a transparent and time bound manner.

Currently,  32  Central  Ministries/Departments  and  33  States/UTs  have  been integrated  with  NSWS  for  facilitating  and  streamlining  G2B  approvals  with access to  300+  G2B  approvals  of  Central  Departments  and  3000+  G2B approvals of States/UTs. The NSWS helpline can be reached over call and email by business users for any grievances or support required for any issue related to NSWS. Daily grievance call mechanism is also in place for users requiring support to resolve their issues

This  initiative  is  aimed  at  strengthening  transparency,  accountability,  and efficiency in regulatory processes, thereby enhancing investor confidence and contributing to the Government's ongoing efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the country.

********

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1643 FOR ANSWER ON 10.02.2026.

## Ranking of States/UTs under BRAP since inception

## BRAP 2015

| Leaders               | NONE                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Aspiring Leaders      | Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan,                                                                                           |
| Acceleration Required | Haryana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu,                                                                             |
| Jump Start Needed     | Uttarakhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura & Goa, Kerala |

## BRAP 2016

| Leaders               | Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttarakhand                                                                         |
|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Aspiring Leaders      | Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Acceleration Required | Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Jump Start Needed     | Andaman and Nicobar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Dadra Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tripura. |

## BRAP 2017-2018

| Top Achievers   | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka & Rajasthan                                                                                              |
|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Achievers       | West Bengal. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                              |
| Fast Movers     | Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Bihar                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Aspirers        | Goa, Punjab, Kerala, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Damn & Diu, Tripura, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Puducherry, Nagaland, Chandigarh, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar, Manipur, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Lakshadweep |

## BRAP-2019

|   Sl. No. | Ranking of States   |
|-----------|---------------------|
|         1 | Andhra Pradesh      |
|         2 | Uttar Pradesh       |
|         3 | Telangana           |
|         4 | Madhya Pradesh      |
|         5 | Jharkhand           |
|         6 | Chhattisgarh        |
|         7 | Himachal Pradesh    |
|         8 | Rajasthan           |
|         9 | West Bengal         |
|        10 | Gujarat             |
|        11 | Uttarakhand         |
|        12 | Delhi               |
|        13 | Maharashtra         |
|        14 | Tamil Nadu          |
|        15 | Lakshadweep         |
|        16 | Haryana             |
|        17 | Karnataka           |
|        18 | Daman and Diu       |
|        19 | Punjab              |
|        20 | Assam               |
|        21 | Jammu and Kashmir   |
|        22 | Andaman & Nicobar   |
|        23 | Dadra & N. Haveli   |
|        24 | Goa                 |
|        25 | Mizoram             |
|        26 | Bihar               |
|        27 | Puducherry          |
|        28 | Kerala              |
|        29 | Arunachal Pradesh   |
|        30 | Chandigarh          |
|        31 | Manipur             |
|        32 | Meghalaya           |
|        33 | Nagaland            |
|        34 | Odisha              |
|        35 | Sikkim              |
|        36 | Tripura             |

## BRAP 2020

| Top Achievers                | Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Telangana                                                                         |
|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Achievers                    | Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh                                                                     |
| Aspirers                     | Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, West Bengal                                                                                   |
| Emerging Business Ecosystems | Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Tripura |

## BRAP 2022

| Y Category   | Y Category                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| B2G          | B2G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Category     | States/ UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Fast Mover   | Gujarat                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Aspirers     | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Goa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Assam, Delhi, J&K          |
| C2G          | C2G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Category     | States/ UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Aspirers     | Kerala, Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal, Assam, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Jharkhand, Punjab |
| X Category   | X Category                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| B2G          | B2G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Category     | States/ UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Aspirers     | Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Tripura, Chandigarh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                      |
| C2G          | C2G                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| Category     | States/ UTs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Aspirers     | Chandigarh, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tripura, Puducherry, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur                                                                                                    |

-  Category  X includes  northeastern  states  (excluding  Assam)  and  UTs (excluding Delhi), and
-  Category  Y encompasses  states  and  UTs  with  established  business  and citizen-centric systems.
-  Remarks : States are categorized as "Top Achievers" (above 90%), "Achievers" (80-90%), "Fast Movers" (70-80%), and "Aspirers" (below 70%)
- based on their compliance with the action plan, reflecting the government's commitment to creating a business-friendly environment.
-  B2G indicates Business Centric reforms
-  C2G indicates Citizen Centric reforms

## BRAP 2024

-  EODB Categories (BRAP including RCB)
-  Category X includes northeastern states  (excluding  Assam)  and  UTs (excluding Delhi), and
-  Category Y, which encompasses states and UTs with established business centric systems.
-  States  are  categorized  as  "Top  Achievers"  (above  95%),  "Achievers"  (9095%), "Fast Movers" (80-90%), and "Aspirers" (below 80%) based on their compliance with the action plan, reflecting the government's commitment to creating a business-friendly environment.
-  EODB Categories (BRAP excluding RCB)
-  Category X includes northeastern states  (excluding  Assam)  and  UTs (excluding Delhi), and
-  Category Y, which encompasses states and UTs with established business centric systems.
-  States  are  categorized  as  "Top  Achievers"  (above  95%),  "Achievers"  (9095%), "Fast Movers" (80-90%), and "Aspirers" (below 80%) based on their compliance with the action plan, reflecting the government's commitment to creating a business-friendly environment.

| Y Category   | Y Category                                                                                                                                     |
|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Category     | States/UTs                                                                                                                                     |
| Fast Movers  | Odisha, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka                              |
| Aspirers     | West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Telangana, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, Delhi |

| X Category   | X Category                                                                                                                                                                           |
|--------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Category     | States/UTs                                                                                                                                                                           |
| Aspirers     | Tripura, Meghalaya, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry,, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Manipur |

| Y Category   | Y Category                                                                                                                    |
|--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Category     | States/UTs                                                                                                                    |
| Achievers    | Andhra Pradesh, Punjab                                                                                                        |
| Fast Movers  | Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Gujarat |
| Aspirers     | Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, Delhi                    |

| X Category   | X Category                                                                                                                                                                          |
|--------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Category     | States/UTs                                                                                                                                                                          |
| Aspirers     | Tripura, Meghalaya, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Manipur |

*******