PMO to look into reasons for India’s bad performance in ease of doing business list

India just managed to move a spot higher to 130 in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings for 2017 and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is now planning to look into the reason as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target for India to reach the top 100 this year and be in the top 50 countries in the next three years.

The methodology followed by the World Bank will be explained by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and it will also be discussing the reason for failure of reforms with the PMO.

"We have held regular meetings with the PMO on the ease of doing business. They have taken note of the latest ranks and we will discuss this as well,” a senior official, who did not wish to be identified, told ET.

DIPP will ask all the government departments and engage with the World Bank, so their responses get counted in next year’s ranking exercise and then the teams can work to ensure India’s reforms gets acknowledged next year. DIPP has also asked all the departments and ministries to seek more feedback from users to find whether the reforms are being implemented on the ground.

India has been able to secure secured a place in top 50 on some of the parameters including getting electricity (26), getting credit (44) and protecting minority investors (13).

However, there have been many areas in which the nation lagged behind like as construction permits in which the ranking is 185 among 190 economies, 155 for starting a business, 172 on the parameter of paying taxes and enforcing contracts.

All hopes for India to improve its rankings are now pinned down to on implementation of the goods and service tax next year.

DIPP, however, felt that the reforms including online filing and payment of returns at the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, and streamlining of name reservation process at the corporate affairs ministry have not been counted by the World Bank.

"The World Bank methodology is such that they would only count the reforms if the user gives a positive response...Our logs and evidence have not been considered by them,” an official told ET.

Both the government bodies are, however, among the respondents of the study.