CII proposes 10-point roadmap for ease of doing business ahead of budget 2025 – Times of India

NEW DELHI: As the 2025-26 Union budget is drawing close, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) submitted a 10-point recommendation to the central government directed towards enhancing the ease of doing business (EoDB) in India. The key suggestion among the proposals is a call to streamline all regulatory approvals across central, state, and local levels through the national single window system (NSWS).
The industry body has urged the government to prioritise integrating all central ministries into the NSWS within six months, followed by phased inclusion of states. CII suggested that a dedicated central budget allocation could be used to encourage states to transition fully to the portal.
As the global competitive environment undergoes a rapid evolution, along with ever-changing geopolitical and economic conditions, it is highly important to maintain sustained and speedy improvement in domestic businesses. Though for the past 10 years, India has been centered on improving EoDB, it is crucial to maintain its momentum in certain areas, CII noted.
Focus on simplification and transparency
Chandrajit Banerjee, director general of CII, highlighted the importance of simplifying regulatory frameworks, reducing compliance burdens, and enhancing transparency.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Other Recommendations
Time-bound approvals and grievance redressal: Passing a law that requires public authorities to deliver services and resolve issues within a set time. If they miss the deadline, approvals should be automatically granted.
Faster dispute resolution: Enhancing court capacity and relying more on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms to accelerate case resolutions.
Expanding judicial data systems: Extending the national judicial data grid (NJDG) to cover tribunal cases, which contribute significantly to case backlogs by identifying, managing and reducing their pendency.
Streamlining compliance framework: Developing a unified framework consolidating all environmental requirements into a single document.
The CII said, “A performance-based incentive system can also be established to recognize companies that consistently exceed environmental standards by offering expedited environmental/forest approvals, clearances and permits.”
Improving land access: Encouraging states to establish an online integrated land authority to digitise records, streamline land banks, and provide clarity on disputed land.
Additional proposals focus on reducing labour compliances, improving trade facilitation, and minimising tax-related litigation.
Budget expectations
The 2025-26 Budget, scheduled for presentation on 1 February 2025 will mark finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s eighth budget. It is expected to outline measures addressing the economic challenges of weak GDP growth and sluggish consumer demand.
India’s economy grew by 5.4 per cent in the July-September quarter of 2024-25, falling short of the Reserve Bank of India’s 7 per cent forecast. This followed a similarly subdued performance in the April-June quarter.
The finance ministry has begun pre-budget consultations and FM Sitharaman also conducted a series of meetings with MSMEs, farmers’ groups, economists, and industry leaders.