UK, India to launch conference on `Ease of Doing Business’

Britain and India on Thursday launched an India-UK Partnership on ease of Doing Business that the two countries expect to act as a springboard to propel the strategic bilateral partnership between the two countries to the next level.

Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the ministry of commerce and industry, Ramesh Abhishek and British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith jointly inaugurated the partnership in New Delhi on Thursday.

The India and UK partnership on Ease of Doing Business is important because of the role that the business environment plays in encouraging trade, investment, innovation and economic growth, an official release said.

The conference, which is a follow-up based on the commitments made by UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, will provide a forum for experts from both countries to share best practice – and to make the connections that will lead to further collaboration in the future, the release said.

During Prime Minister Theresa May's visit to India last month, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Theresa May had witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding on 'Ease of Doing Business', which set out how the UK and India would work together to share expertise and best practice.

This conference is the next step in this process, bringing together officials from central and state governments in India with UK experts. The discussion will cover areas, including regulatory reform, inspection reform, tax administration, trade facilitation, electricity provision, insolvency, land registry and standards.

The conference will be the most ambitious outreach yet undertaken on the Ease of Doing Business. It will showcase India's focus on simplifying its business ecosystem making it a preferred business destination, as well as the work that the UK government is doing to share the key features of its globally renowned business ecosystem and practices.

Representatives from various Indian state governments will also highlight their business reform action plan, implementation strategy, and lessons and leanings, the release stated.