New Delhi, Apr 22 (KNN) As the World Bank prepares to launch its new flagship Business Ready (B-READY) report assessing business environments worldwide, the Indian government has initiated early preparations to showcase its efforts in easing business prospects.

The B-READY report, with its first edition slated for release on September 25, will benchmark regulatory frameworks, public services for firms, and their on-ground efficiency across most economies.

India's business environment assessment is scheduled for 2026, with the survey commencing later this year.

"We will be among the batch of countries covered in the B-Ready survey in the second half of the year," revealed DPIIT Secretary R K Singh. 

Under the nodal Ministry of Commerce, officials have begun assessing India's standing against the 1,300-question B-READY criteria, meeting key ministries twice monthly.

Ministries have been allocated specific questions spanning labour laws, taxation, regulatory structures impacting new businesses, and infrastructure development easing supply chains. The Centre also plans to integrate certain B-READY indices into the Business Reforms Action Plan for states.

Notably, the B-READY report marks a departure from the discontinued Ease of Doing Business Index, embroiled in data irregularity allegations in 2021. The new methodology examines the private sector holistically, considering benefits to workers and the environment, signalling a “more positive view” on governance, stated Norman Loayza, World Bank economist supervising B-READY.

With an expanded firm sample and emphasis on regulatory implementation over mere presence, the report could prove instrumental for India, which had jumped 14 ranks to 63rd in the previous Ease of Doing Business rankings by 2019 through economic reforms.

(KNN Bureau)