Ease of Doing Business: Strengthening India’s Business Framework

What Happened

• The government has released a comprehensive account of wide-ranging reforms that have transformed India's business environment through digital governance, regulatory simplification, and a trust-based administration approach.
• Seven editions of the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) have been successfully implemented, with the eighth edition (BRAP 2026) formally rolled out in November 2025, cumulatively driving over 9,700 reforms across states and union territories.
• India's recognized startup base has surpassed 2.23 lakh, supported by an expanded startup recognition framework that doubled the turnover threshold to ₹200 crore and introduced a dedicated Deep Tech category (February 2026).
• The National Single Window System (NSWS) now integrates 32 central ministries and 33 states/UTs, offering access to over 300 central and 3,000 state-level approvals, with more than 11.56 lakh applications processed to date.
• More than 47,000 compliances have been reduced through simplification, digitisation, decriminalisation, and removal of redundant provisions; the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 proposes to decriminalise 288 provisions across 16 additional central acts.
• MCA21, the corporate governance digital infrastructure, recorded approximately 3.84 crore filings over five years (2021–2025), with Version 3 introducing AI-assisted helpdesks, mobile apps, and API-based data access.
• India is scheduled to be assessed under the World Bank's B-READY (Business Ready) framework in 2026, replacing the now-discontinued Doing Business Report.

Static Topic Bridges

World Bank Doing Business Report and B-READY Framework

The World Bank's Doing Business Report, which benchmarked economies on regulatory efficiency, was discontinued in September 2021 following concerns about data integrity. It has been replaced by the Business Ready (B-READY) assessment, which evaluates over 180 countries across 10 topics organized into three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. Unlike the older index, B-READY also factors in sustainability and labour standards. India was not included in the inaugural B-READY 2024 report and is scheduled for assessment in the 2026 edition.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP)

DPIIT, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, serves as the nodal agency for Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) reforms in India. The Business Reform Action Plan, introduced in 2015, is a competitive framework that ranks states and UTs on implementation of business-friendly reforms across areas such as single-window systems, construction permits, inspections, and approvals. It has been a key driver of the competitive federalism approach to governance reform.

MCA21 and Corporate Governance Digitisation

MCA21 is the Ministry of Corporate Affairs' e-governance initiative that digitised all company registration and compliance filings. Launched in 2006, it moved from paper-based to fully electronic filings. Version 3 (MCA21 V3), rolled out progressively since 2022, introduced a cognitive chatbot helpdesk, mobile applications, enhanced UI/UX, and API-based data dissemination. MCA21 underpins the paperless company incorporation and annual filing ecosystem in India.

Jan Vishwas Act and Decriminalisation of Business Laws

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central acts, converting criminal penalties to civil compounding for minor technical violations. This reduced the deterrent effect of inadvertent non-compliance on businesses and professionals. The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025 proposes to extend this approach to 355 additional provisions, further reducing criminal liability for minor regulatory violations.

Key Facts & Data

• Over 47,000 compliances reduced: 16,108 simplified, 22,287 digitised, 4,458 decriminalised, 4,270 removed.
• NSWS: 32 central ministries + 33 states/UTs integrated; 11.56 lakh applications processed; 8.29 lakh approvals granted.
• Startup India: 2.23 lakh+ recognised startups; turnover threshold doubled to ₹200 crore (February 2026); Deep Tech category introduced.
• BRAP: 8 editions across 2015–2026; 9,700+ cumulative reforms.
• MCA21: 3.84 crore filings in five years (2021–2025).
• World Bank B-READY: replaces discontinued Doing Business Report; India to be assessed in 2026 edition.
• Jan Vishwas Act, 2023: decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 acts.