More focus to be laid on Ease of Doing Business: ASSOCHAM

ASSOCHAM in its release has stated that the Government has been successful in bringing down the corruption at the Central level in the last one year, while there has to be a lot much that needs to be done at the ground level for Ease of Doing Index.

The Ease of Doing Index (EDI) covers a wide range of areas with the central theme emerging out as the speed of taking decisions. The report states that the government needs to put more focus on industry, consumer, investor and the trade to improve things at the ground level.

There has been a significant development in terms of the corruption in government system at center level as 34.1 percent of respondents believe there is less corruption. However, at the state level, 46.3 percent of industry believes that there is more corruption in government system.

As for environmental regulations, 48.8 per cent of respondents believe no change in environmental regulations as compared to previous year at center level and 53.7 percent of respondents feel no change at state level, adds the survey.

On the quality of infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports and ports, a large 56.1 percent of respondents see no change at the Central sector and 51.2 per cent see similar situation at the state sector projects.

The situation is no better as regards the power sector. "While power generation has picked up, the trouble is the load factor cannot improve significantly, unless the financial position of the state discoms improves. Several of them are in a precarious situation and are not able to buy and pay for the electricity," ASSOCHAM Secretary General D S Rawat said.

Another area which has somewhat changed at the Centre level but not too much in the states relates to quality of bureaucracy. But still 39.0 percent of respondents believe no change in quality of bureaucracy as compared to previous year at center level and 41.5 percent of respondents believe no change at state level.