Prime Minister Narendra Modi got a pat on the back from a most unlikely source for the World Bank report “Doing Business 2018: Reforming To Create Jobs” released by the global bank on Wednesday.
The World Bank’s report on Doing Business 2018 has ranked India in the 100th position. This is for the first time in the post-independence era India figures in the top 100 nations where ease of doing business is high and commendable.
“PM Modi deserves the credit for this achievement. It was his spirited and relentless campaign against corruption which has resulted India getting elevated from the 130th position in 2015 to the 100th rank of 2017,” Pejawar Murari, veteran bureaucrat and former secretary to the President of India told The Pioneer on Wednesday. He said India could get the 50th or 25th rank in the next four years if the uncompromising fight by the the Prime Minister is continued without any hitch.
“The last four years were a crucial phase for India. PM Modi left no stones unturned to generate an investor-friendly climate,” said Murari, a 1957 batch IAS officer who currently works as the adviser to the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He said elimination of corruption in high places have played a major role in elevating India to the coveted 100th rank. “The Prime Minister has ensured that corruption is eliminated in high places. If the States reciprocate his action, the result would be enormous,” said Murari.
He said, the World Bank studied the scenarios in 190 countries before preparing the rank list featuring the most investor friendly nations. The top ranked countries in the report are New Zealand, Singapore, Denmark, Hong Kong, South Korea, Norway, UK and USA. The World Bank studied various parameters prevailing in all the countries before grading them based on the ease of starting business, dealing with construction permits and resolving insolvency.
“I am sure the country can make it to the first 50 nations in the next couple of years. Please remember that India graduated from 130th position to 100th rank in a matter of four years. This shows that if there is a will there is a way,” said Murari, known for the stiff upper lip attitude during his bureaucratic days. He said the Country would see big time economic development as a result of the World Bank upgrading India in its list of nations where doing business is easy.
Murari said the Union Government should keep the momentum going so that India could reach the 25th rank itself in the next four or five years. “The World Bank’s study in India was focussed on Mumbai and Delhi. In the next stage, the Union Government should take on board all States in the Country, especially the industrialised States like Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” said Murari who has seen the entire spectrum of economy ranging from licence permit raj of the 1950s to the economic liberalisation and globalisation of the 1990s.