Secretaries told to push steps on ease of doing business by April 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked central ministries to speed up steps related to making life easier for businesses by the middle of April so that the World Bank can factor in the developments in its ease of doing business rankings.

The message was delivered during a meeting of Pragati (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation), a platform through which the PM interacts with secretaries and state chief secretaries to improve project execution.

India is currently ranked 130 in the ease of doing business rankings with Modi seeking to push the country into the top 50 league in the coming years. He along with the department of industrial policy and promotion ( DIPP) has initiated steps, including the introduction of state rankings, to get various authorities moving.

Sources said the PM is keen that ministries put in place new set of measures, such as forms or registration processes at the earliest, since the rankings are based on a perception study.

“Unless the measures are put in place at the earliest, the perception won't change. That is why the PM is insisting on steps being taken quickly ,“ said an officer.

During the meeting, Modi pointed out that bureaucrats often delay decisions but they can be expedited if the officers wish to. “The idea is to implement steps that are already in the pipeline.

Some of the measures require legislative changes, which cannot be enacted in 15 days,“ said a senior officer.Already several government agencies have initiated steps, which are almost ready to be implemented.