From 'inspector raj' to single-window: a backgrounder on a decade of Ease-of-Doing-Business reforms

A PIB backgrounder consolidates the move from a compliance-heavy to a facilitation-driven economy — SPICe+, Udyam, single-window clearances, GeM, ONDC, GatiShakti, GST and credit guarantees — and the global rankings that tracked it.

What happened

• A PIB backgrounder ('Ease of Doing Business: Strengthening India's Business Framework') consolidated a decade of reforms shifting India from a compliance-heavy to a facilitation-driven, trust-based regulatory ecosystem.
• Business entry: Startup India (Jan 2016) — 2.23 lakh+ recognised startups generating ~23.3 lakh direct jobs (~48% with a woman director); the SPICe+ integrated web form (2020) bundling 10+ services; MCA21 v3 (e-scrutiny/e-adjudication); and the free, paperless Udyam MSME registration.
• Property & permits: DILRMP with ULPIN — a 14-digit 'Aadhaar for Land' on 36 crore+ parcels — and NGDRS; the OSH Code, 2020 replacing 13 central labour laws with single registration/return/all-India licence; the National Single Window System (NSWS); and PARIVESH 2.0 (average environmental clearance down to ~64 days).
• Market access: GeM (cumulative GMV ₹18.4 lakh cr; 68% of orders by MSEs), ONDC (7.64 lakh+ sellers across 616+ cities), and PM GatiShakti integrating 58 ministries on one geospatial platform — with India's Logistics Performance Index rank rising from 54th (2014) to 38th (2023).
• Credit & tax: PM Mudra Yojana (₹40.07 lakh cr across 57 cr+ accounts), CGTMSE, TReDS; and on tax, GST (taxpayers up from ~60 lakh in 2017 to 1.64 cr+), faceless assessment and the e-Way Bill.
• The note ties these to improved global assessments — World Bank Doing Business rank 142 (2014) → 63 (2019), the GovTech Maturity Index 'Group A', and the IMD World Competitiveness ranking (43→41).

For Prelims

• SPICe+: 'Simplified Proforma for Incorporating a Company Electronically Plus' — a single web form bundling incorporation, PAN, TAN, DIN, GSTIN, EPFO, ESIC, bank account etc. Don't confuse it with Udyam (MSME registration) or MCA21 (the corporate-affairs registry portal).
• ULPIN: the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number — a 14-digit geo-referenced code, the 'Aadhaar for Land', under the DILRMP (Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme). NGDRS is the 'One Nation, One Registration' document-registration system.
• OSH Code, 2020: one of the four Labour Codes; it subsumes 13 central labour laws and introduces single registration/return and all-India licences. Recall the four codes — Wages; Industrial Relations; Social Security; Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions.
• NSWS vs PARIVESH: NSWS is the umbrella single-window for central + state approvals; PARIVESH 2.0 is the single window specifically for environment, forest, wildlife and CRZ clearances.
• GeM vs ONDC: GeM (Government e-Marketplace, 2016) is for public procurement; ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce, 2022) is an open protocol to democratise private e-commerce — a frequently-confused pair.
• PM GatiShakti: the National Master Plan (Oct 2021) for integrated, multimodal infrastructure planning on a GIS platform with the Network Planning Group (NPG) appraising projects — distinct from the National Logistics Policy (2022).
• Doing Business caveat: the World Bank discontinued the Doing Business report (citing data irregularities); its successor is B-READY (Business Ready). Cite the 142→63 jump but flag that the index itself was retired — a maturity marker.
• Credit alphabet: CGTMSE (collateral-free MSME credit guarantee), PMMY/Mudra (loans up to ₹20 lakh), and TReDS (electronic discounting of MSME trade receivables) — name these in any MSME-finance answer.

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.8 · GS2.15 · Linkage L2