Decade of Reforms Strengthens India’s Ease of Doing Business Ecosystem

Decade of Reforms Strengthens India’s Ease of Doing Business Ecosystem

The Government of India has highlighted a decade of reforms aimed at improving the country's Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ecosystem through regulatory simplification, digital governance, and trust-based administration. These reforms have been designed to reduce compliance burdens, enhance transparency, attract investments, and create a more business-friendly environment.

Key Performance Metrics

¨     India’s rank in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report improved from 142 (2014) to 63 (2019), while its IMD World Competitiveness Ranking improved from 43 (2021) to 41 (2025).

¨     India has been placed in Group A of the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index in 2020, 2022 and 2025, reflecting strong digital governance capabilities.

¨     The reforms signify a shift from a compliance-heavy regulatory regime towards a facilitation-driven and trust-based governance framework.

¨     Reforms have targeted the entire business lifecycle, including business entry, land and permits, taxation, credit access, logistics, trade facilitation and insolvency resolution.

Major Reforms Undertaken to Promote EoDB

Startup and Enterprise Ecosystem

¨     Under Startup India, recognised startups increased from 502 (2016) to over 2.23 lakh (2026), generating more than 23.3 lakh jobs.

¨     The SPICe+ platform and MCA21 Version 3 have simplified company incorporation through integrated registrations and technology-enabled compliance systems.

¨     The Udyam Registration Portal has facilitated paperless and self-declaration-based registration, significantly expanding MSME formalisation.

Land and Property Reforms

¨     Under the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), over 97% of cadastral maps have been digitised, and more than 36 crore land parcels have been assigned ULPIN.

¨     The National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) is streamlining property registration through the “One Nation, One Registration” approach.

Expanding Market Opportunities

¨     Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has emerged as a major public procurement platform with cumulative transactions exceeding ₹18.4 lakh crore.

¨     Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is expanding digital market access for MSMEs, startups and small businesses across the country.

Improving Logistics and Connectivity

¨     India’s rank in the Logistics Performance Index improved from 54 (2014) to 38 (2023).

¨     Initiatives such as PM GatiShakti, the National Logistics Policy and digital logistics platforms are improving multimodal connectivity and supply-chain efficiency.

¨     Trade facilitation measures such as ICEGATE, eCoO 2.0 and the Districts as Export Hubs initiative have strengthened export competitiveness.

Improving Access to Finance

¨     Schemes such as CGTMSE, PM Mudra Yojana and technology-driven credit assessment models have expanded access to formal credit, particularly for MSMEs.

¨     Strengthening of TReDS is facilitating faster invoice financing and improving MSME liquidity.

Tax and Digital Public Infrastructure Reforms

¨     GST replaced multiple indirect taxes and expanded the taxpayer base from around 60 lakh (2017) to over 1.64 crore (2026).

¨     Faceless assessments, digital tax administration and the e-Way Bill system have reduced compliance burdens.

¨     Digital Public Infrastructure initiatives such as UPI, cKYC Registry and EntityLocker have simplified payments, onboarding and business transactions.

¨     Trust-Based Governance and Regulatory Reforms

¨     The Jan Vishwas Acts (2023 & 2026) have decriminalised hundreds of minor offences and promoted proportionate regulation.

¨     More than 47,000 compliances have been reduced, simplified, digitised or eliminated across sectors.

¨     Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) and District BRAP are driving competitive federalism and improving the business environment at the state and district levels.

¨     Reforms in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) have strengthened time-bound insolvency resolution and creditor-driven restructuring.

Significance of India’s EoDB Reforms

¨     Promoting Entrepreneurship and Formalisation: Simplified registration processes, digital platforms and easier credit access have encouraged business creation and formalisation of enterprises.

¨     Enhancing Investor Confidence: Faster approvals, transparent regulations and insolvency reforms have improved the predictability and attractiveness of India’s business environment.

¨     Driving Digital-Led Governance: Adoption of digital public infrastructure and online service delivery has reduced transaction costs and improved efficiency.

¨     Strengthening Global Competitiveness: Reforms in logistics, trade facilitation and market access have improved India’s position as a preferred investment and manufacturing destination.

¨     Transitioning to Trust-Based Governance: Compliance reduction, decriminalisation and technology-enabled regulation have shifted governance from control-based oversight to facilitation-oriented administration.