Ease Of Doing Business

A new phase of policymaking emerges with committee-led governance

The government has also succeeded in conveying a message that it is sharply focused on reforms that improve the ease of doing business

Seven states enact laws on lines of Jan Vishwas Act to encourage business

Seven NDA-ruled states are pushing for reforms on the lines of the Jan Vishwas Act, which de-criminalises minor offences by replacing prison terms with fines, to make investment climates more predictable and business-friendly, officials said on Friday. This year, the seven states, including Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, passed their own legislations or promulgated ordinances on the lines of the Jan Vishwas Act, making it the largest coordinated deregulation push undertaken at the state level to date, they said. "Together, these reforms represent a structural shift toward trust-based governance, cutting down on criminalisation for routine, technical, or procedural non-compliances," the officials said. They said the combined effect of the states is expected to boost entrepreneurship, reduce litigation, provide regulatory clarity and make state-level investment climates more predictable and business-friendly. Maharashtra has approved the Jan Vishwas Ordinance, 2025, amending seven .

State-led reforms, digitised clearances key for MSME growth: Assocham

Industry body Assocham recommends single-window clearances, graded penalties, and simplified filings to reduce red tape and empower MSMEs across states

Proud moment: Kerala CM hails state's top ranking in Ease of Doing Business

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the state's repeated success in the national Ease of Doing Business rankings as a "proud moment", attributing the achievement to efficient governance and a focus on innovation. In an 'X' post on Tuesday night, the CM said the achievement reaffirms "our steady progress" in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem. "A proud moment as #Kerala shines again in the Ease of Doing Business rankings. Once more, the State has been placed in the top Fast Mover category in the Business Reforms Action Plan & Reduction of Compliance Burden, reaffirming our steady progress in creating an investor-friendly ecosystem," Vijayan said. With 99.3 per cent reforms implemented, up from 91 per cent last year, Kerala continues to lead through efficient governance, teamwork, and a strong focus on innovation-driven growth, he added in the post. After receiving the honour from Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, State Industries ...

Ease of justice must for all, language of law should be local: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that ease of justice is a must to ensure ease of living and ease of doing business, and called for simplification of legal language so that it is understood by those seeking justice. "Social justice can be ensured only when justice reaches everyone irrespective of their social or financial background," the prime minister said at an inaugural session of the National Conference on Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms. Justice must be available to everyone and ease of justice is a must to ensure ease of living and ease of doing business, he said. Prime Minister Modi noted that the government has taken several steps to improve the "ease of justice" in recent years and will further accelerate this process. "The language of law should be one that is understood by those seeking justice. When people understand law in their own language, it leads to better compliance and fewer lawsuits," he said. Judgements and legal documents should

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Delhi eases cinema licence rules to cut red tape; revenue dept takes charge

Lt Governor VK Saxena has withdrawn cinema licensing powers from Delhi Police, transferring them to a DM-led committee under the revenue department to streamline processes and boost ease of business

Govt working to ease logistics regulations to boost investment, growth

The government is working to reduce the regulatory issues in the logistics sector to enhance ease of doing business, and attract more investments, a senior government official said on Thursday. Addressing an event here, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) joint secretary Pankaj Kumar said discussions are underway to make the PM Gati Shakti data more accessible to the private sector. "We are working to further reduce the regulatory issues (in the logistics sector) to enhance ease of doing business and attract more investments," Kumar said. Observing that India is a complex and geographically huge country, he said logistics is all about transporting both people and goods from one place to another quickly so that lives can be saved, and businesses thrive, leading to a better quality of life. "You can get groceries delivered to you in 10 minutes, but cannot reach the hospital in 10 minutes," Kumar said. He said there are several other initiatives being take

Govt defines 'proof of origin' for trade to boost ease of doing business

The government on Monday defined the 'proof of origin' for trade purposes to promote ease of doing business and prevent the possibility of misuse of trade pacts. To seek duty concessions, an importer has to furnish proof or a 'certificate of origin' of a product from the FTA (free trade agreement) partner. According to the circular of the Department of Revenue, proof of origin means a certificate or declaration issued in accordance with a trade agreement certifying that the goods fulfil the country of origin criteria. Certificate of origin is a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements. An exporter has to submit the certificate at the landing port of the importing country. The document is important to claim duty concessions under free trade agreements. This certificate is essential to prove where the goods come from. Commenting on the move, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Secretary General Mithileshwar Thakur said the customs

Govt rationalises registration fee for Coal Import Monitoring System portal

The government on Thursday said it has rationalised the registration fee for the Coal Import Monitoring System portal. The move is aimed at further promoting ease of doing business and ensuring uniformity across import monitoring platforms. The Coal Import Monitoring System (CIMS) is a digital platform developed to streamline the reporting of coal imports, ensuring timely and accurate data for effective policy formulation and sectoral analysis. The registration fee has been revised to a flat rate of Rs 500 per consignment, effective from Tuesday. This replaces the earlier fee structure, which ranged from Rs 500 to Rs one lakh per consignment. Rationalisation in registration fee aligns CIMS with similar Import Monitoring Systems such as the Steel Import Monitoring System, Non-Ferrous Import Monitoring System (NFIMS), and Paper Import Monitoring System, all of which operate under a flat fee model "By enabling real-time monitoring and informed decision-making in coal imports ...

Sitharaman, Citi CEO discuss bank's staff growth in India, digitalisation

During their discussion, Jane Fraser highlighted Citi's expansion in India and expressed interest in strengthening the company's presence in the country

How to Get Hired & Lead in Today’s Business World

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Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0: Govt working to boost trust-based governance, says FM

Govt plans to bring Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalise over 100 provisions, said FM Sitharaman at a post-Budget webinar on 'Regulatory, Investment and EODB reforms'

World sees India as trusted partner, industry must take advantage: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the Indian industry to take "big steps" for taking advantage of global opportunities at a time when the world is looking at India as a trusted partner, which can produce quality goods. Addressing a post-Budget webinar on Regulatory, Investment and Ease of Doing Business Reforms, Modi also said that amid supply-chain disruptions caused by economic uncertainties globally, the world today needs a trusted partner which can produce high-quality products and have a reliable supply chain. "Our country is capable of doing this, all of you (industry) are capable, this is a great opportunity for us. I want that our industry should not look at these expectations of the world as a mere spectator. We cannot remain spectators, you will have to look for your role in this, you will have to seek opportunities for yourself," Modi told the industry players. The Prime Minister said the government is working together with the industry for the last 10 years a

Will set up deregulation commission to reduce govt's interference: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the government will constitute a deregulation commission to further reduce the role of the state in all spheres of governance. Speaking at ET Now Global Business Summit, Modi said the government has ended hundreds of compliances and now through Jan Vishwas 2.0, more archaic compliances are being reduced to promote ease of doing business. "It is my conviction that there should be less interference of the government in the society. For this, the government is also going to constitute a Deregulation Commission," he said. The NDA government through its policies have been able to replace 'Fear of Business' with 'Ease of Doing Business', he said. Acknowledging that the role of the private sector is very important in the journey for Viksit Bharat by 2047, he said the government has opened many new sectors including nuclear energy, space, commercial mining and power distribution systems for them to invest and bring in efficiency. He exuded ...

WB govt sets up investment synergy panel to improve ease of doing business

The West Bengal government on Saturday formed an investment synergy committee to expedite implementation of project proposals and boost the ease of doing business in the state. A notification to this effect was issued two days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during the Bengal Global Business Summit, announced that a panel would be set up to ensure ease of doing business in the state. The State-Level Investment Synergy Committee (SLISC), chaired by the chief secretary, will act as a single-window clearance system for investment proposals, ensuring approvals within a mandated timeframe, the notification said. The initiative aims to streamline the process of obtaining necessary clearances and approvals for industrial projects and other investments in the state. The SLISC will include heads of 19 departments, including industry, commerce and enterprises, environment, finance, labour, and urban development. The chief secretary may also include heads of other relevant departments

Income Tax dept not an adversarial entity, but participative: CBDT chief

CBDT chairman Ravi Agrawal said the tax administration is committed to 'fostering stability and simplifying business operations' in India

Budget 2025 focuses on ease of doing biz, promotes manufacturing: ICAI

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on Saturday said the Budget focuses on ease of doing business, promote domestic manufacturing and position India as a more competitive player in global trade, supporting economic resilience and growth. "Suggestions by ICAI in Pre-Budget memorandum regarding the finance bill 2025, phasing out of alternative tax regime, rationalisation of TDS and TCS regime, exemption of withdrawal from NSS and taxation of business trusts have also been accepted," ICAI President Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal said in a statement. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented her eighth consecutive Budget. Sitharaman announced significant income tax cuts for the middle class and unveiled a blueprint for next-generation reforms for Viksit Bharat as she treaded a fine line between fiscal prudence and providing a thrust to growth. ICAI also said deeming the annual value of two self-occupied house property as nil instead of erstwhile one, is a great

Good steps forward: Nasscom hails Budget's focus on improving ease of biz

IT industry body Nasscom on Saturday welcomed the government's focus on fostering entrepreneurship and improving ease of doing business in the Union Budget 2025-26 and said "these are the good steps forward". Nasscom President Rajesh Nambiar said the government's focus on innovation and improving ease of doing businesses reinforces its commitment of making India a global leader. "The commitment to expanding safe harbour rules, both on the threshold as well as on the rate side is very much welcome. These are the good steps forward," he said. The government has rationalised basic customs duty rates, slashing the number of levies to just eight, but has kept the effective duty rates on most items the same by adjusting cess to further ease of doing business. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman removed seven tariff rates in the 2025-26 Budget. These are in addition to the seven tariff rates removed in the 2023-24 Budget. After this, there will only be eight remaining tariff rates, inclu

India among top nations on CEOs confidence on investment plans: PwC survey

India is among the top countries in terms of investment plans made by CEOs and also in terms of their confidence in the country's economic growth, a global survey showed on Monday. Releasing its annual CEO survey here on the first evening of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, PwC said nearly 9 out of 10 Indian CEOs remain confident of economic growth as they plan headcount increases and continued AI rollout. India also remains among the top five territories (along with the US, the UK, Germany and Chinese Mainland) for global CEOs' investment plans, the survey found. Almost 51 per cent of Indian CEOs were positive about GenAI's impact on profitability, while one-third of Indian CEOs noted revenue increases from climate-friendly investments over the past five years. For more than 40 per cent of Indian CEOs, product and service innovation is the most common reinvention action in the last 5 years, PwC said. Four in 10 CEOs in India and across the world said their companies have