Department Of Financial Services (DFS) Hosts a Post Budget Webinar On Theme "Regulatory, Investment, And Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) Reforms"

Government remains committed to  ensuring of timely implementation of all budget announcements for the year 2025-26- Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman

Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws, simplifying processes for businesses- Finance Minister

Several important suggestions given by experts  on different sub-themes during the Post Budget Webinar

Addressing a post-budget webinar on the theme  "Regulatory, Investment, And Ease Of Doing Business (EODB) Reforms” organized by the Department of Financial Services, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate affairs,  Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that the  government is committed to encouraging global economic partnerships, leveraging technology to strengthen traditional sectors and to significantly enhance the export potential of India.

The Finance Minister  added that the government remains committed to  ensuring  timely implementation of all budget announcements for the year 2025-26.  This is consistent with the government's track record of delivering on promises made in previous budgets, the Minister said.

The Finance Minister explained how recent budget announcements are being implemented promptly. Under the MUDRA loans, the loan limit under the Tarun category has been increased from Rs10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, with implementation completed via notification dated 24th October 2024, the Finance Minister added.

The new MSME Credit assessment model announced in Budget 2024-25 has progressed well. 11 Public Sector Banks have extended it to existing customers and 7 Banks have extended it to new ones also, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Second, 21 new SIDBI branches have already been opened in MSME clusters during 2024-25 in line with the budget announcement made in 2024-25.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has implemented the pilot project for the PM Internship scheme. The scheme was announced in the budget of 2024-25 creating over 1.25 lakh internship opportunities in top companies with over six lakh applicants. The government remains steadfast in reducing regulatory burdens and enhancing trust based governance to improve the ease of doing business.

Through the budget announcements, the government is  taking various steps towards making India a seamless export friendly economy, one where businesses are free to focus on innovation and expansion and not on paperwork and penalties. Decriminalization of business related laws reduces the legal risks, allowing industries to operate with greater confidence.

Giving details, the Finance Minister said that the robust manufacturing sector, free from unnecessary regulatory bottlenecks, will further attract both domestic and foreign investments, driving economic growth, positioning India as a trusted global player. The government has over 42,000 compliances removed, and over 3700 legal provisions have been decriminalized since 2014. In the Jan Vishwas act 2023, more than 180 legal provisions were decriminalized.

The government will now bring up the general Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalize more than 100 provisions in various laws. It will further simplify processes for businesses, the Minister added.

Highlighting the focus laid on capex, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman said that the pathway for reforms are complemented by the government's unwavering focus on capital expenditure as a driver of economic growth. For the year 2025-26, total effective capex is proposed at 15.48 lakh crores, which is 4.3% of the GDP, with 11.21 lakh crores allocated as core capital expenditure by the centre, which is 3.1% of the GDP. This unprecedented investment in infrastructure development is already creating jobs, strengthening industries and laying the foundation for private sector participation in India's growth story.

The Minister said that today's webinar has brought together stakeholders from ministries like Finance Department, Industry policy, internal trade, corporate affairs regulators, state governments, public sector banks, insurance companies, SIDBI, NABARD and industry associations to ensure smooth policy implementation.

The Finance Minister appreciated that various important inputs have been received during the course of discussion, and they will be looked into suitably. The inputs will help align our strategies, address possible implementation challenges and ensure that budgetary announcements efficiently translate into tangible actions, the Minister said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of State for Finance, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary in his concluding remarks said that increasing the FDI limit will not only attract foreign capital and advanced technology but will also improve insurance penetration, providing increased insurance coverage at affordable premiums to a larger section of the population. This move is also expected to improve technology advancements as well as better customer engagement processes.

Further the Minister added that department of financial services is in advanced stages of finalisation and the Draft Insurance Laws Amendment Bill which will be presented, shortly.

Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in his concluding remarks during the webinar underlined that India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) is set to revolutionize last-mile financial access by integrating its services with Post Office Savings Accounts, creating a unified, technology-driven financial ecosystem.

With 35 crore Post Office Savings Account holders and 11 crore IPPB customers, this integration will enhance accessibility, efficiency, and innovation in banking services. Key initiatives include expanding Aadhaar-enabled payment systems, increasing UPI transactions, introducing AI-driven microfinance, and launching vernacular digital platforms to empower rural communities. The Department of Posts and Communications is committed to enabling these changes, and collaboration with the Department of Financial services will further accelerate India's journey toward a seamless and inclusive financial landscape, the minister added.

In his Thematic session of the Post budget Webinar, Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary DFS said that under the MUDRA Scheme, ₹33 lakh crore loan amount has been sanctioned. Under the Stand-Up India initiative, the department has sanctioned ₹59,000 crore to 2.62 lakh accounts. Additionally, under the PM SVANidhi scheme,  ₹14,000 crore has been sanctioned across 99 lakh accounts. Shri Nagaraju also mentioned that to ensure greater consistency, consumer protection, transparency, and grievance redressal, DFS is proposing setting up a unified forum where regulators and authorities in the pension sector can collaborate.

The Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance organized a Post Budget Webinar on Theme 7 titled Regulatory, Investment and EODB reforms on Tuesday 4^th March, 2025 to understand the unique perspectives from various stakeholders that can help implement the budget announcements for the year 2025-26, ensuring synergy among stakeholders. The webinar comprised of deliberations on 3 parallel breakout sessions on the following sub-themes as below:

Sub-Theme 1: Making India investment friendly

Sub-Theme 2: Ease of access to Financial Services/ Credit

Sub-Theme 3: Rationalization of Legal & Regulatory Compliances

Simultaneously,  2 more post budget webinars with themes of ‘MSME as an engine of growth’ and ‘Manufacturing, Exports and Nuclear Energy Missions’ were also organised. Prime Minister  addressed these 3 webinars , emphasizing the importance of manufacturing and export. Highlights of his address may be accessed at

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2108027

For the webinar on Regulatory, Investment and EODB reforms, the sessions witnessed participation of Ministers of respective ministries, senior government officials, subject matter experts, industry leaders, bankers, FPOs and other related stakeholders. The deliberations  focussed on budget announcements related to FDI in Insurance Sector, Credit Enhancement Facility by NaBFID , Merger of Companies, Bilateral Investment Treaties, Investment Friendliness Index of States, Expanding Services of India Post Payment Bank, Grameen Credit Score, KYC Simplification, Pension Sector, Regulatory Reforms  & High-Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms, FSDC Mechanism, Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 .

The sub-theme “Making India investment friendly” covered budget paras on FDI in Insurance Sector, Credit Enhancement Facility by NaBFID, Merger of Companies, Bilateral Investment Treaties, and Investment Friendliness Index of States. Valuable suggestions were received from Panelists, Intervenors and Industry experts. The suggestions received during the panel discussion on this theme, inter alia, included, tax rationalization, Ease of Doing Business such as simplification of licensing process for new entrants, liberalizing investment norms, robust dispute resolution mechanism, use of e-governance in streamlining processes, minimize domestic regulatory bottlenecks, creating awareness within the government and build capacities, dedicated national law for foreign investment promotion in India, deepening of bond markets through participation of Insurance and pension funds,retail investors etc.

During the breakout session on sub theme Ease of access to financial services / Credit, the discussions were held on 3 budget announcements regarding expanding services on India Post payment bank (IPPB), KYC simplification and Grameen credit score. Experts lauded the budget announcements and opined that expansion of IPPB will take banking services to remote areas, empower rural communities by providing access to essential financial tools and will deepen financial inclusion. Grameen credit score will provide an accurate credit profile of rural borrowers. It will not only give opportunities to rural population in availing affordable credit but will also provide opportunities to banks for increasing their business.  KYC simplification will enhance the ease of customers in availing banking and other financial services. The discussions held during the webinar enriched large number of attendees.

In the Sub Theme: " Rationalization of Legal & Regulatory Compliances", Forum for Regulatory Coordination and Development of Pension Products, high-level committee for regulatory reforms, FSDC Mechanism and Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 were discussed. It was emphasised by the speakers that ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’ will need a regulatory framework that is based on trust and is responsive to technological changes and global policy developments. Speakers highlighted that, Government needs to reduce compliance burden and Imprisonment and / or fine should be substituted with penalties, which are civil in nature, for all minor, procedural and technical non-compliances. Such a framework will facilitate the ease of doing business for all citizens.

The recommendations on the respective sub-themes of the webinar were presented in the concluding session in presence of Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Minister of State for Finance and Minister of State for Communication.