All ministries will now have to set up a dedicated task force in each department to track progress on ease of doing business as part of the government’s renewed efforts to improve India’s rank in the World Bank’s Global Doing Business Report, a measure that comes after the country moved up just one spot to 130 in the latest index.
A four-pronged approach proposed by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) includes holding discussions with the stakeholders and the respondents in the World Bank study on ease of doing business, officials said.
The government wants to create awareness not just about the reforms it is undertaking but also about the World Bank report to ensure all those participating in it are aware of assumptions being made in the study and frame their responses accordingly.
“We will continue to pursue this matter with all government departments…This is an important focus of this government and Prime Minister,” said a senior government official, who did not wish to be identified.
DIPP has proposed that all reforms be tracked by a third party evaluator to study their effectiveness and suggest further action as well to improve implementation. All ministries will also set up a reforms cell on their websites to keep users informed about all steps being taken to enhance about ease of doing business.
“A lot of reforms which we implemented last year were not counted because the user response did not verify it…We need to ensure that people are aware of the steps that are being taken and also use it,” the official said. DIPP is engaging with various industry bodies to address issues related to compliances and permissions.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said earlier, “It is not that we have not taken the right route in reforms relating to ease of doing business, but we need to interact with states even more. The whole process needs a sharper focus.” India’s rank last year was revised to 131 from 130 estimated earlier.
This year the country has lagged year in various areas such as construction permits, ranking 185 among 190 economies. It is ranked 155 for starting a business, 172 on the parameter of paying taxes and enforcing contracts, areas where the government has done substantial work.
India has pinned its hopes on implementation of the goods and service tax next year to significantly improve its global ranking. Besides, the enactment of insolvency and bankruptcy code could help India move up from its low rank of 136 for resolving insolvency issues.
Source: Economic Times
