I keep reading how things are getting easier in India, business-wise. I mean the powers-that-be are crying hoarse to make this point to anyone and everyone who will listen.
I think it’s a bunch of good old-fashioned hogwash.
Yeah, there are certain areas where I do see improvements. But that is almost always offset by additional regulations and requirements coming up in other areas of life.
The net-effect, is “no-change” at best — I think it’s actually gotten worse.
Here’s a sample just from earlier this morning:
I wanted to change my mobile phone from the company name to my own name.
My assistant in office spoke to the telecom provider, and here is the process:
- Get an NOC from the company – okay no problem.
- Submit an NOC personally — okay no problem
- Go to physical store of telecom provider and.. (wait for it!!)
- Show original Aadhar card
- Show original PAN card
- Submit two photographs
- Submit self-attested copies of Aadhar card and PAN card
- Fill out their form and sign off on it
Yeah – that’s what i need to do make this change. National security, fraud-prevention — common points mentioned in defense of something like this.
I cannot recall the number of times I have had to submit KYC documentation to anyone and everyone. It’s like this constant need to keep proving that you are innocent every step of the way.
It’s fucking exhausting is what it is. Unless you have a battery of people in your company, ready to handle all this paperwork and regulations, you are going to get drowned in the systems.
There is nothing easy about doing business in India.
As a business owner, I am just more scared now than ever before of a mis-step here or an oversight there. The last thing I want to do, is to jump into India’s amazingly efficient and corrupt-free legal system.
Okay, enough venting for a Saturday afternoon. Back to working on transferring that cell-phone to my name.