The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business has been jointly inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, India, Shri Ramesh Abhishek and British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith, on 8th December, 2016 in New Delhi. It will act as a springboard to propel the strategic bilateral partnership between the two countries to the next level.

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. This conference, following the commitments made by UK Prime Minister Ms. Theresa May and Prime Minister Shri 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.

During the UK Prime Minister’s visit to India last month, both Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Ms. Theresa May witnessed the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding on the 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 state and central Government 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 and 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 & leanings.

Ease of Doing Business partnership promotes regulatory reforms between India and UK to share best practices and boost investment. The India-UK partnership on Ease of Doing Business advances a bilateral programme to exchange expertise and best practice under a Memorandum of Understanding, convening central and state government officials with UK experts to pursue regulatory reform, inspection reform, tax administration, trade facilitation, electricity provision, insolvency, land registry and standards, and to present state-level action plans and implementation strategies.