New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has constituted a high-level Advisory Group on Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) to simplify corporate compliance and strengthen digital governance frameworks.
The Advisory Group will function under the chairmanship of Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General and CEO, IICA. The move follows the Ministry’s order dated December 31, 2025, and is aligned with the Government of India’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 aimed at building a transparent, robust and globally competitive business ecosystem.
According to officials, the initiative marks a significant step towards rationalising compliance processes under the Companies Act, 2013, with a focus on simplifying statutory e-forms and reducing regulatory burdens on businesses. The Group will examine global best practices to ensure that India’s corporate regulatory architecture remains contemporary, efficient and investor-friendly.
The Advisory Group has been tasked with recommending measures to enhance compliance efficiency, including rationalisation of forms, lifecycle-based compliance design and reduction of duplicative filings through consolidation, automation and event-based processing. It will review and validate reform proposals prepared by the Programme Management Unit (PMU), assess feasibility and develop a phased implementation roadmap.
In addition, the panel will guide the development of system artefacts such as an Integrated Form Blueprint to improve user experience and regulatory clarity. It will also facilitate stakeholder consultations, conduct impact assessments to evaluate improvements in compliance efficiency and suggest draft amendments to the Companies Act, related rules and allied matters to support a modern and technology-driven regulatory framework.
The Advisory Group brings together representatives from government, academia, industry and professional bodies to ensure a multi-stakeholder approach to reforms. Members include Shri Shantanu Mitra, Senior Economic Advisor, MCA; Shri Sanjay Shorey, Director General of Corporate Affairs, MCA; Shri Balamurugan D, Joint Secretary, MCA; Prof. Harpreet Kaur, Vice-Chancellor, National Law University, Jodhpur; Shri Ashish Kumar Chauhan, MD and CEO, National Stock Exchange of India Ltd.; Shri Ajay Bahl and Shri Bahram N. Vakil, Founding Partners, AZB & Partners; Shri P. R. Ramesh, former Chairman, Deloitte India; Prof. M. P. Ram Mohan, IIM Ahmedabad; Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan, IIM Bangalore; Shri Pavan Kumar Vijay, Founder, Corporate Professionals; Shri Rahul Matthan, Founding Partner, Trilegal; and Dr. Pankaj Dikshit, Executive Director and Chief AI/Digital Officer, Cygnet.One. Representatives from ICAI, ICSI, ICMAI, CII, FICCI and ASSOCHAM are also part of the Group.
Prof. Garima Dadhich, Associate Professor and Head, School of Business Environment, IICA, will serve as Member-Convener. The School of Business Environment, IICA, will act as the Secretariat to the Advisory Group and support its research and coordination activities.
As part of the broader reform push, IICA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to undertake a comprehensive research study titled “Re-envisioning Ease of Doing Business for Viksit Bharat 2047.” The study aims to generate evidence-based recommendations to support policy innovation and administrative reforms in India’s corporate regulatory landscape.
