Engaging with Kolkata, Bengaluru on ease of doing business ranking: DPIIT

DPIIT Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra said that to initiate the process, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has written to the chief ministers of both the states about the inclusion and the requirements that the two states have to fulfil.

New Delhi:The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has started deliberations with Karnataka and West Bengal governments on ease of doing business report as the World Bank has included Bengaluru and Kolkata for next year's ranking purposes, a top official said.

Inclusion of two more cities -- Bengaluru and Kolkata -- in the ranking process by the World Bank would provide a holistic picture of the business environment of the country.

DPIIT Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra said that to initiate the process, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has written to the chief ministers of both the states about the inclusion and the requirements that the two states have to fulfil.

"I have also written a letter to the concerned chief secretaries. We held one round of meeting in Karnataka. We intend to do that in Kolkata also," he said.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also told West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the inclusion of Kolkata.

"A lot of effort has been going. Now, detailed interaction with state governments will follow," he added.

The report ranks 190 nations based on 10 parameters, which include ease of starting a business, construction permits, getting electricity, getting credit, paying taxes, trade across borders, enforcing contracts and resolving insolvency.

India improved its ranking on the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' report for the third straight year, jumping 14 places to the 63rd position on the back of reforms related to insolvency and getting a construction permit.

Ranking helps in improving parameters which are essential to attract both domestic and foreign investors.