WB report didn’t take note of key reforms: India

The Centre expressed disappointment over the lack of improvement in India's ranking in the World Bank's Doing Business report. It said the report did not consider a dozen key reforms brought out by the government. The report ranked India at 130 out of 190 countries.

Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) — the nodal Central government body for ease of doing business initiatives, said important reforms, such as the enactment of bankruptcy code, GST, introduction of single window system for building plan approvals and online ESIC and EPFO registrations were not “recognised by the World Bank this year.”

He said the DIPP will appoint external agencies “to help departments carry forward reforms, hold stakeholders consultations, and monitor implementation of reforms.”

Mr. Abhishek said the governments have asked departments involved in the implementation of reforms to appoint observers who will seek feedback from the industry and ensure that the impact of reforms are felt on the ground.

“The obervers will play a critical role in ensuring that the reforms are functioning as intended and that any roadblocks along the way are being addressed in a timely manner,” he said.

However, India “will continue engagement with the World Bank and address their concerns to include these (12) reforms in the next year's report,” he said.