India has removed, simplified or digitised more than 47,000 compliances. Yet businesses still face a vast web of laws, filings and requirements across three levels of government
The success of deregulation should not be measured only by provisions removed
Faster approvals, single-point information sharing and predictable decisions matter more to businesses
Overlapping licences and inspections add to costs. Merging redundant licences and adopting risk-based inspections can allow regulators to focus on genuinely high-risk activities
Central reforms alone cannot ease compliance
Businesses deal extensively with state and local authorities, making coordination and uniform implementation across governments essential
The Labour Codes merged 29 central laws, but businesses still navigate numerous central and state statutes
Consolidation must translate into genuine simplification on the ground
Time-bound approvals, deemed approvals and performance dashboards can shift the burden of delays from businesses to the administration
Smaller firms stand to gain the most