Transition from Doing Business to B-READY
Following the discontinuation of the Doing Business Report in 2020, the World Bank introduced the Business Ready (B-READY) assessment in 2024. The new framework evaluates more than 180 economies across 10 indicators covering the entire business lifecycle, including business entry, utilities, labour, taxation, dispute resolution and insolvency.
India will be assessed in the third B-READY report, slated for release in 2026, marking a critical milestone in the country’s reform journey.
Business Reforms Action Plan at the Core
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has anchored India’s Ease of Doing Business reforms through the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP), launched in 2014. The initiative focuses on simplifying regulations, reducing compliance burdens and expanding digital governance.
Reforms under BRAP include single-window clearance systems, simplified construction permits, risk-based inspections and end-to-end digitisation of approvals. Seven editions of BRAP have been completed so far, with the eighth edition, BRAP 2024, currently underway.
States and UTs Drive Reform Momentum
More than 9,700 individual reforms have been implemented across States and Union Territories under BRAP. The rankings reflect competitive federalism, encouraging states to modernise governance and improve investor facilitation.
Recent BRAP assessments categorise states based on compliance levels, highlighting fast movers, achievers and aspirers in both business-centric and citizen-centric reforms.
Major Reduction in Compliance Burden
A cornerstone of the reform agenda is the Regulatory Compliance Burden initiative launched in 2020. Over the past five years, more than 47,000 compliances have been reduced across central ministries and states.
This includes simplification of over 16,000 compliances, digitisation of more than 22,000 processes, decriminalisation of 4,600 provisions and elimination of redundant requirements.
Jan Vishwas Laws Decriminalise Business Offences
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 marked a major shift by decriminalising 183 provisions across 42 Acts administered by 19 ministries. The law replaces imprisonment with monetary penalties and introduces compounding of offences in select cases.
Building on this, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 proposes amendments to 355 provisions across 16 central laws, further strengthening ease of doing business and ease of living.
National Single Window System Gains Scale
The National Single Window System has emerged as a flagship digital platform enabling investors to obtain approvals through a unified interface. Currently, 32 central departments and 33 States and UTs are integrated with NSWS.
Businesses can access over 300 central and 3,000 state-level approvals, track application status through a real-time dashboard and seek support through a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism.
Clear Intent to Attract Investment
The government’s reform strategy spans labour, environment, land administration and taxation, significantly reducing turnaround time and operational costs for businesses. Digital land banks, GIS-enabled industrial park mapping and investor information systems further enhance transparency.
These measures underline India’s commitment to creating an enabling ecosystem for enterprises and strengthening its position as a preferred global investment destination.
