CII roots for 10-point agenda to improve ease of doing business in India

Among the ‘urgent policy interventions’, the industry body has also suggested for all regulatory approvals, including central, state and local levels and it must mandatorily be provided only through the national single window system. “Compliances for industry related to various areas such as land, labour, dispute resolution, paying taxes and environment offer a vast scope for reduction, vital for boosting competitiveness, driving economic growth and employment generation,” Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII, said in a statement.

The CII has also pitched for expediting the process of dispute resolution by improving the capacity of courts and placing greater reliance on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. “For streamlining environmental compliances, a unified framework could be introduced, which consolidates all requirements into a single document. Easy access to land is important to facilitate new or expanding businesses as states may be incentivised to develop an online integrated land authority with an objective to streamline land banks, digitise and integrate land records, provide information on disputed land and guide necessary reforms,” it said.

The CII further said that to assist industry in land acquisition across nations, the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), which provides information on land across the majority of states, can be evolved into a national-level land bank, with dedicated central budget support. “While India has over the last decade remained focused on improving ease of doing business, there is a need to maintain the momentum, especially in certain specific areas,” the CII stated.

To ensure timely processing of industry applications and delivery of services from the central ministries, it also suggested that an Act, imposing statutory obligation on all public authorities for time-bound delivery of services and redressal of grievances, could be passed, with provision of deemed approval beyond the prescribed timeline. “The scope of the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), which has been set up to identify, manage and reduce pendency of cases across the courts, needs to be expanded to include the data of tribunals, which constitute substantial chunk of pendency of cases in the system,” it said.

Arguing that labour compliances continue to be extensive and arduous and await the implementation of the four labour codes, it called for the scope of the Shram Suvidha Portal, which facilitates integrated compliances in just a few select central Acts, to be expanded to function as a centralised portal for all central and state labour laws compliances. “Improving trade facilitation is important, there is a need to make the authorised economic operator programme, which allows numerous priority clearances to members, could be made more attractive and easier to join,” it noted.