An American conservative public policy think tank, the Heritage Foundation in its latest annual Index of Economic Freedom 2018 has placed Indian economy at 130th position with economic freedom score of 54.5. The country has jumped up 13 places in the last one year. The country in 2017 was ranked 143rd among 180 countries with a score of 52.6 points. According to the Index, India’s overall score has increased by 1.9 points, led by improvements in judicial effectiveness, business freedom, government integrity, and fiscal health. The country is ranked 30th among 43 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages. It noted that the country is developing into an open-market economy and said that traces of its past autarkic policies still remain.
The report added that growth accelerated, with economic liberalisation measures, including industrial deregulation, privatisation of state-owned enterprises and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, which began in the early 1990s. Recently, the government reformed one of its more opaque operational practices to make the auctioning of rights to exploit state-owned resources more transparent. However, it also mentioned that corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure, a restrictive and burdensome regulatory environment, and poor financial and budget management continue to undermine overall development.
The Heritage Foundation further said that the nation’s diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Although land titles in some urban and nearly all rural areas remain unclear, real property rights in large metropolitan areas are generally well enforced. It added that the judiciary is independent, but the Indian courts are understaffed and lack the technology necessary to clear an enormous backlog. Observing that non-tariff barriers significantly impede trade, it said the government’s openness to foreign investment is below average.
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