[In
yesterday’s
post, we had briefly discussed the publication of the Damodaran Committee
on Reforming the Regulatory Environment for Doing Business in India, and its
broad impact.
yesterday’s
post, we had briefly discussed the publication of the Damodaran Committee
on Reforming the Regulatory Environment for Doing Business in India, and its
broad impact.
In
this post, Nidhi Bothra at Vinod
Kothari & Co discusses the report in greater detail. Nidhi can be contacted
at nidhi@vinodkothari.com]
this post, Nidhi Bothra at Vinod
Kothari & Co discusses the report in greater detail. Nidhi can be contacted
at nidhi@vinodkothari.com]
The Damodaran Committee was set up by the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs to make recommendations for reforming the regulatory
environment for doing business in India. This was due, among other things, to
India’s lacklustre performance over the last few years in the Doing Business of
the World Bank. The report
of the Committee was submitted to the Ministry on 2nd September,
2013 and is available in the public domain.
Corporate Affairs to make recommendations for reforming the regulatory
environment for doing business in India. This was due, among other things, to
India’s lacklustre performance over the last few years in the Doing Business of
the World Bank. The report
of the Committee was submitted to the Ministry on 2nd September,
2013 and is available in the public domain.
The report is classified into 6 chapters and relates to a)
dispute resolution/ legal reforms, b) architecture of regulatory space, c)
measures to boost efficacy of regulatory process, d) improving business for
MSMEs, e) addressing issues at state level and f) reviewing World Bank’s Doing
Business Report. The report makes several recommendations which are very
relevant in the present day context. The crux of the report is to provide such
regulatory environment facilitating easy doing business in India and the highlights
of the recommendation are as below:
dispute resolution/ legal reforms, b) architecture of regulatory space, c)
measures to boost efficacy of regulatory process, d) improving business for
MSMEs, e) addressing issues at state level and f) reviewing World Bank’s Doing
Business Report. The report makes several recommendations which are very
relevant in the present day context. The crux of the report is to provide such
regulatory environment facilitating easy doing business in India and the highlights
of the recommendation are as below:
a. Dis-incentivising
civil courts and encouraging arbitration. Commercial dispute resolution in
India takes a long time, a large number of cases are pending under section 138
of the Negotiable Instruments Act as well. The Committee recommends to create a
pool of trained arbitrators for facilitating easy dispute resolution.
civil courts and encouraging arbitration. Commercial dispute resolution in
India takes a long time, a large number of cases are pending under section 138
of the Negotiable Instruments Act as well. The Committee recommends to create a
pool of trained arbitrators for facilitating easy dispute resolution.
b. Need
for Regulatory Review Authority. The Committee rightly states that new
regulations should not be knee-jerk response to a specific situation or
context. The Committee recommends
that as in developed nations, a regulatory review authority should be set up
which would carry out a regulatory impact assessment and should determine the
effort and the cost involved and review the need for the regulation and cost
thereof. The regulatory review authority should also be the internal regulation
review authority for proposed regulations as well. The Committee mentions that
owing to the non-consultative approach, regulations formed sometimes are
impractical and lose relevance in the rapidly changing environment.
for Regulatory Review Authority. The Committee rightly states that new
regulations should not be knee-jerk response to a specific situation or
context. The Committee recommends
that as in developed nations, a regulatory review authority should be set up
which would carry out a regulatory impact assessment and should determine the
effort and the cost involved and review the need for the regulation and cost
thereof. The regulatory review authority should also be the internal regulation
review authority for proposed regulations as well. The Committee mentions that
owing to the non-consultative approach, regulations formed sometimes are
impractical and lose relevance in the rapidly changing environment.
c. Consultative
approach for law making. For drafting a law there should be two levels of
consultation process to be carried out, one, stakeholders’ consultation process
and two, revised draft consultation. The regulatory impact assessment should
precede the public consultation process. Matters of systemic risk to get
priority and non-systemic matters to be dealt in a summary manner. The draft
regulations should be simple and should not leave any scope for ambiguity. Also
that every organisation given the task of writing regulations should have a
provision for advance authority for rulings.
approach for law making. For drafting a law there should be two levels of
consultation process to be carried out, one, stakeholders’ consultation process
and two, revised draft consultation. The regulatory impact assessment should
precede the public consultation process. Matters of systemic risk to get
priority and non-systemic matters to be dealt in a summary manner. The draft
regulations should be simple and should not leave any scope for ambiguity. Also
that every organisation given the task of writing regulations should have a
provision for advance authority for rulings.
d. Regulatory
Autonomy. The Committee recommends that there should be regulatory autonomy
and that the regulatory organisations should do a self-evaluation once every 3
years and put it on public domain. Also, a Parliamentary Committee should
review the work of the head of the regulatory organisation every six months wherein
the developments of the previous six months will be reviewed.
Autonomy. The Committee recommends that there should be regulatory autonomy
and that the regulatory organisations should do a self-evaluation once every 3
years and put it on public domain. Also, a Parliamentary Committee should
review the work of the head of the regulatory organisation every six months wherein
the developments of the previous six months will be reviewed.
e. Improving
business for MSMEs. In the present day, policies for MSMEs are not
co-ordinated at the Central and the State level. Hence the Committee recommends
that there should be an over-arching body set up for addressing the key
business issues for MSMEs and acting as an interface with the relevant
Ministries and Departments to address the impediments. According to the report
97% of the MSMEs are proprietorship or partnership firms and face several
compliance issues which are huge cost burden and strain management bandwidth. The
recommendation is to set up a single window clearance mechanism for MSMEs and
an appellate process for persons aggrieved by an order of rejection.
business for MSMEs. In the present day, policies for MSMEs are not
co-ordinated at the Central and the State level. Hence the Committee recommends
that there should be an over-arching body set up for addressing the key
business issues for MSMEs and acting as an interface with the relevant
Ministries and Departments to address the impediments. According to the report
97% of the MSMEs are proprietorship or partnership firms and face several
compliance issues which are huge cost burden and strain management bandwidth. The
recommendation is to set up a single window clearance mechanism for MSMEs and
an appellate process for persons aggrieved by an order of rejection.
f. Incentivising
States. The Committee recommends that there should be nodal contact for
persons intending to obtain information on the procedural and substantive
conditions to be fulfilled while setting up business. The States should be
incentivised for simplifying regulations and to expedite approvals. Also at the
Central level there should be a clearing house set up for providing information
on the practices adopted by different state governments.
States. The Committee recommends that there should be nodal contact for
persons intending to obtain information on the procedural and substantive
conditions to be fulfilled while setting up business. The States should be
incentivised for simplifying regulations and to expedite approvals. Also at the
Central level there should be a clearing house set up for providing information
on the practices adopted by different state governments.
As per the World Bank Doing Business Report, the first
indicators of doing business are the measure of time, cost, minimum capital
required to start a new business, where India ranked low. In India, enforcement
of contracts is a problem, resolution of commercial disputes take long, India’s
regulatory architecture is getting increasing complex, insolvency takes lot of
time, absence of bankruptcy and lenders’ liability laws are some of the
problems of the many. On the business
side more and more entities are offering themselves for corporate debt
restructuring, NPA levels are constantly soaring in the country. The near
absence of policies towards corporate insolvency and problem loans have been a
major stumbling block in India and the problems remain.
indicators of doing business are the measure of time, cost, minimum capital
required to start a new business, where India ranked low. In India, enforcement
of contracts is a problem, resolution of commercial disputes take long, India’s
regulatory architecture is getting increasing complex, insolvency takes lot of
time, absence of bankruptcy and lenders’ liability laws are some of the
problems of the many. On the business
side more and more entities are offering themselves for corporate debt
restructuring, NPA levels are constantly soaring in the country. The near
absence of policies towards corporate insolvency and problem loans have been a
major stumbling block in India and the problems remain.
As India faces an uphill task with escalating problem of
corporate debt restructuring, much of which may turn bad over a period of time,
the country cannot afford to have knee-jerk solutions to a problem The Companies
Act 2013 has been recently enacted, and is currently going through enforcement
in a phased manner. The new Act makes some effort to streamlining and speeding up
the winding up process. However, provisions about revival of sick companies
have been made creditor-driven, rather than debtor-motivated. Revival of sick
companies is more like survival instinct, which has to come from the person
facing sickness rather than the creditors. True, sickness cannot be used as a
ploy to keep creditors at bay; at the same time, the social costs of
creditor-driven enforcement are huge. There has to be a balance between
creditor needs and debtor concerns – the balance is missing at the current time.
corporate debt restructuring, much of which may turn bad over a period of time,
the country cannot afford to have knee-jerk solutions to a problem The Companies
Act 2013 has been recently enacted, and is currently going through enforcement
in a phased manner. The new Act makes some effort to streamlining and speeding up
the winding up process. However, provisions about revival of sick companies
have been made creditor-driven, rather than debtor-motivated. Revival of sick
companies is more like survival instinct, which has to come from the person
facing sickness rather than the creditors. True, sickness cannot be used as a
ploy to keep creditors at bay; at the same time, the social costs of
creditor-driven enforcement are huge. There has to be a balance between
creditor needs and debtor concerns – the balance is missing at the current time.
As regards asset reconstruction companies (ARCs), India is
the only country which allows ARCs as a business model, and that too, equipped
with statutory powers. Recently, the foreign investment regime was relaxed to
permit upto 74% investment in “security receipts”. Presumably, there will be
lot of traction on this front as loans go non-performing over time.
the only country which allows ARCs as a business model, and that too, equipped
with statutory powers. Recently, the foreign investment regime was relaxed to
permit upto 74% investment in “security receipts”. Presumably, there will be
lot of traction on this front as loans go non-performing over time.
In short, the country seems to be moving about impulsively
on a subject which requires a balanced policy decision. The complex mesh of
regulations that are ever changing along with the uncertainty that they bring
about are not just deterrent but are also having a tremendous negative impact
on doing business in India. In this background, the 70 pager Report on the
Committee’s recommendations are welcomed and if implemented would surely have
impact on ‘doing business’ in India.
on a subject which requires a balanced policy decision. The complex mesh of
regulations that are ever changing along with the uncertainty that they bring
about are not just deterrent but are also having a tremendous negative impact
on doing business in India. In this background, the 70 pager Report on the
Committee’s recommendations are welcomed and if implemented would surely have
impact on ‘doing business’ in India.
– Nidhi Bothra