India has significantly enhanced its regulatory environment, improving by 79 ranks in last five years — in EoDB (Ease of Doing Business) rankings —published by the World Bank Group as Doing Business Report.
Following the discontinuation of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report in 2020, India is preparing for the third edition of its B-READY assessment in 2026, which will evaluate over 180 countries across 10 core stages of the business lifecycle. Central to this transformation is the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) and the Regulatory Compliance Burden (RCB) initiative, which together have resulted in the reduction of over 47,000 compliances and the carrying out of 9,700 reforms across States and Union Territories.
Key Pillars of India’s Regulatory Transformation
The DPIIT has launched a multi-stage institutional framework to systematically reduce hurdles for enterprises:
Harmonization and Digitization of Compliances: Of the total 47,000 compliances reduced, 22,287 were digitized and 16,109 simplified, reflecting a shift toward technology-enabled governance.
Decriminalization of Business Laws: The Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, and the subsequent 2025 Bill aim to decriminalize nearly 540 provisions across 58 Central Acts, removing imprisonment for minor offenses to foster investor confidence.
National Single Window System (NSWS): Operationalized as a one-stop-shop, the NSWS has integrated 32 Central Ministries and 33 States/UTs, providing access to over 3,300 G2B approvals and a transparent Investor Dashboard for tracking applications.
Dynamic State-Level Reforms (BRAP): The ongoing BRAP 2024 edition focuses on streamlining regulations in labor, environment, and land administration, categorizing states into “Top Achievers” and “Fast Movers” based on implementation performance.
RCB+ Harmonization: A focused initiative to rationalize 6,262 compliances across 23 commonly implemented Acts, addressing inter-state and intra-regulatory duplication.
What is the World Bank “B-READY” Assessment? B-READY (Business Ready) is the World Bank Group’s new flagship benchmarking tool that replaces the old Doing Business report. It provides a more holistic evaluation of the business climate by looking at 10 topics—ranging from Business Entry and Utility Services to Dispute Resolution and Market Competition—across three dimensions: the regulatory framework, public services, and operational efficiency. India’s inclusion in the 2026 report signifies its transition to a sophisticated, life-cycle-based regulatory model that balances enterprise growth with public interest.
Policy Relevance
India’s preparation for the 2026 B-READY assessment represents a transition from discrete compliance fixes to a unified national business ecosystem. By institutionalizing the Jan Vishwas framework, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry is providing a clear signal that India is moving away from purely punitive enforcement toward a facilitative, risk-based regulatory environment.
Attracting Global Capital: The reduction of 47,000 compliances and the operationalization of the NSWS directly support India’s position as a preferred destination for high-value Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Empowering MSMEs: Decriminalizing minor offenses and simplifying environmental clearances reduce the “compliance cost” that often prevents small enterprises from formalizing and scaling.
Strengthening Federalism: The competitive categorization of states under BRAP incentivizes regional governments to adopt digital land banks and GIS-integrated industrial parks to attract investment hubs.
Transparency and Accountability: The real-time tracking of applications via the NSWS Investor Dashboard eliminates “regulatory opacity” and ensures time-bound delivery of government services to businesses.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: As India moves toward the decriminalization of over 500 provisions, what institutional mechanisms should be established to ensure that the shift to "penalties" rather than "imprisonment" is matched by a more efficient, digital-first adjudication process?
Follow the full news here: PIB: India’s Ease of Doing Business Performance Strengthened
