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Fine-print of India’s improved EoDB ranking is disturbing, Start Ups faltering

Published

9 years ago

November 1, 2017

Fine-print of India’s improved EoDB ranking is disturbing, Start Ups faltering

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Despite PM Narendra Modi’s Start Up India initiative, World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings show starting new business in India is becoming difficult

As India finished at the 100^th spot – improving from last year’s 130 – in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings for 190 countries that were surveyed, it was only natural for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and finance minister Arun Jaitley to pat their backs on the supposed endorsement of their handling of the country’s economy.

Access the World Bank’s EoDB rankings report here:

http://www.doingbusiness.org/rankings

The EoDB rankings declared on Tuesday are no doubt a shot in the arm for a government that, for a better part of the past year, has been struggling to justify its economic policies and counter growing criticism over a perceived slump in investor sentiment and job creation. Yet, they also portray another reality; one which doesn’t bode well for the Modi government nor justify the premature celebrations over what the Prime Minister termed as a “historic jump”.

For starters, the survey factors in the ease of doing business only in Mumbai and Delhi while Tier I and Tier II cities which are proposed to emerge as the new business centres of India have not been surveyed in the ‘Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs’ report that was released on Tuesday by Annexte Dixon, World Bank vice president for the South Asia region. Considering that the national and financial capital are already choked with existing industries and businesses, the exclusion of Tier I and Tier II cities from across the country should in itself be reason enough to not see India’s improved ranking as a comprehensive endorsement of the overall EoDB scenario across the country.

Dixon attributes the “significant jump” in India’s ranking to “the Indian government’s consistent efforts over the past few years and India’s endeavor to strengthen its position as a preferred place to do business”. The report acknowledges improvements in indicators such as resolving insolvency, paying taxes, protecting minority investors and getting credit as the reasons behind the improvement in India’s ranking.

However, the report skips factoring in disruptions caused in businesses and the overall Indian economy due to two of the biggest and most controversial ‘reforms’ rolled out in the country by the Modi government – demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

While demonetisation, which flushed out 86 per cent of the cash in circulation from the economic in one single stroke and paralysed the economy, especially in the informal sector, for months, was a decision unique to India and so found no mention in the World Bank report, the EoDB survey was completed a month prior to the GST rollout and hence disruptions caused by the new tax regime were also not factored in while deciding India’s ranking.

Economists within India and abroad, as also Opposition leaders, have hit out at the Modi government over the negative impact of demonetisation and the hasty implementation of the GST regime. However, with the two contentious ‘reforms’ finding no mention among the EoDB parameters, it would perhaps not be wholly incorrect to assume that the rankings do not reflect the impact that they have had on businesses in India.

Comparative rankings of India of the current and previous year in the 10 categories on which countries were ranked. Photo credit: Business Line

Another aspect of the report that cannot be brushed aside is the fact that the rankings come as an endorsement of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s charge against the Modi of his government having made it more difficult to start new businesses in India despite the Prime Minister’s pet Start Up India initiative.

Of the 10 broad parameters that the EoDB rankings are based on, three are clearly linked with starting of new business and in each of these parameters, India has slipped from its rankings of the previous year. For instance while on the parameter of ‘starting a business’, the need for Indian entrepreneurs to go through 12 procedures to start a business, as opposed to five in high-income countries, worsened India’s ranking in the category to 156 from 155 last year – out of a total of 190 countries.

A majority of new ventures also need to register their official property that they plan to use as the venue for their business. In the category of ‘Registering property’, India marked its biggest decline, slipping from a rank of 138 last year to 154 in the current year. New ventures also need electricity supply and on that count too, India has slipped although the country’s overall ranking in the category of ‘getting electricity connection’ is better than nearly 70 per cent of the countries that were surveyed. With a 45-day period needed to get a new electricity connection, India ranked 29 in this category as against its previous ranking of 26.

The parameters where the country seems to have done well, marginally or substantially, are all that apply to existing business, be it categories like ‘enforcing contracts’ and ‘resolving insolvency’ or ‘paying taxes’. What the Modi government needs to do, if it really is serious about its Start Up India initiative, is to also make setting up of new business – and not just in Mumbai or Delhi but elsewhere in India too – a much less cumbersome process.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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India Metro Rail Network May Overtake US in 2 Years

India’s metro rail network has reached 1,170 km across 26 cities. Union minister Manohar Lal said the country could overtake the US in network length within two years.

Published

8 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

India is on track to become the country with the second-largest metro rail network in the world after China, with Union Minister Manohar Lal saying the country could overtake the United States within the next two years.

India’s metro rail network has now expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities. The network is only 216 km shorter than the US metro rail network, which stands at 1,386 km, according to figures cited by the minister.

India’s metro network expands rapidly

Speaking after the inauguration of an extended metro service in Indore, Manohar Lal highlighted the pace at which metro connectivity has grown in India.

He said metro services were operational across just 245 km in five cities when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014. The network has since expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities.

The minister said India could overtake the US in terms of metro rail network length in the next two years and become the world’s second-largest country in this segment after China.

China currently has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines, according to the figures cited by the minister.

Indore metro extension inaugurated

The minister made the remarks after inaugurating an extended section of the Indore metro. The project was built at a cost of around Rs 2,850 crore.

The Indore metro was earlier operating commercially on a six-km stretch between Gandhi Nagar and Super Corridor-3 stations. Following the extension, the service will operate on a 17-km route between Gandhi Nagar and Malviya Nagar Chauraha.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the metro service would mark a new phase in Indore’s development. He also said the network would eventually be extended to Ujjain and other nearby areas.

India’s metro rail network: Key figures

India currently has 1,170 km of operational metro rail network.
Metro services are operational across 26 cities.
The US has around 1,386 km of metro rail network.
India is currently 216 km behind the US.
China has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines.
India’s operational network stood at 245 km across five cities in 2014.

India News

PM Modi returns to SRCC after 13 years, revisits 2013 glass full speech

PM Narendra Modi returned to SRCC after 13 years for its centenary celebrations, revisiting themes from his landmark 2013 address.

Published

8 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Saturday, 13 years after his previous visit to the institution as Gujarat chief minister.

His latest visit came as SRCC marked its centenary celebrations. Modi’s 2013 address at the college had attracted significant attention as he spoke about India’s youth, governance and the country’s demographic potential.

In 2013, Modi was Gujarat chief minister and had not yet been named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He returned to the same campus this year as Prime Minister, having completed 12 years as Prime Minister and serving his third consecutive term.

What PM Modi said at SRCC in 2013

The 2013 lecture was titled Emerging Business Models in the Global Scenario. The address also covered governance and India’s young population.

He described India’s youth as a source of national strength rather than simply a group of new-age voters. He also highlighted India’s demographic advantage and argued that the country needed to make better use of its young population.

One of the notable moments from the speech involved a glass of water. Modi contrasted the conventional descriptions of a glass as half full or half empty and said he viewed it as full, with half containing water and the other half air.

The speech also included his remarks on technology and young Indians. Referring to an anecdote from a visit to Taiwan, Modi used the phrase “mouse-charmers” to describe Indians using computers and suggested that young Indians had the ability to influence the world through technology.

‘Minimum government, maximum governance’

Modi’s 2013 address also touched on governance. He spoke about the role of government and the need for better governance.

He also spoke about India’s potential in the 21st century.

Modi returns as PM for SRCC centenary

The September 5 visit coincided with Teachers’ Day and SRCC’s 100th anniversary. The Prime Minister’s Office had announced that Modi would participate in the college’s centenary celebrations and address the gathering. SRCC was established in 1926 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Shri Ram.

Earlier this year, Modi also met the SRCC governing body at his residence in April in connection with the college’s centenary celebrations and released a commemorative postage stamp marking the occasion.

The return to SRCC came 13 years after his 2013 appearance at the college, when he addressed students as Gujarat chief minister.

India News

Supreme Court judge calls police assault on CJP protesters very distressing

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan criticised alleged police assaults on CJP protesters and raised concerns over excessive force.

Published

17 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has criticised the assault of protesters by police personnel during the recent CJP demonstrations in Delhi, describing the conduct as “very, very distressing” and a matter of serious concern.

Speaking at the launch of retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad’s book Policing the Republic, Justice Bhuyan said the detachment expected from police officers appeared to be diminishing.

He expressed concern over young Indian Police Service officers personally participating in the assault of protesters and demonstrators.

Justice Bhuyan stresses need for responsible policing

Justice Bhuyan said effective policing does not require excessive use of force or infringement of human rights. He emphasised that the police play an important role in maintaining public confidence because citizens generally approach the police when they feel they have been wronged.

He said maintaining the credibility of the police force was therefore of “utmost importance”.

The judge’s remarks come amid continuing scrutiny of the police and paramilitary response to the CJP protests in Delhi.

Supreme Court panel to examine police action

The Supreme Court has constituted a high-level panel to investigate allegations concerning the use of force by Delhi Police during the July 20 student protests at Jantar Mantar and the subsequent Parliament march.

The panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy, will examine complaints relating to lathi charges, tear gas, pellet guns and electronic batons. It will also look into allegations of targeted harassment or molestation of female protesters and review available CCTV and video footage.

The police response during the protests has faced criticism, while Delhi Police has maintained that its personnel were also attacked during the clashes.

Judge raises concern over custodial deaths and torture

Justice Bhuyan also spoke about custodial torture and deaths, describing custodial death as one of the gravest crimes in a society governed by the rule of law.

He stressed that torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment cannot be accepted, regardless of whether such conduct takes place during investigation, interrogation or other circumstances.

The judge further warned that when government functionaries themselves become lawbreakers, it can undermine respect for the law and encourage lawlessness.

He questioned whether citizens lose their fundamental rights simply because they have been arrested by police.

‘Fake encounters’ cannot be part of policing

Justice Bhuyan also addressed allegations of extra-judicial killings, commonly referred to as “fake encounters”. Referring to a 2011 Supreme Court judgment, he said such encounters undermine the rule of law.

He stressed that an “encounter philosophy” cannot become part of legitimate policing and said proven fake encounters involving serving police officers must be treated with the utmost seriousness.

The Supreme Court’s panel will now examine the allegations surrounding the police action during the July 20 protests as scrutiny of the events continues.