'Business strangled by bureaucracy': Sushant Sareen as exporters face 18 documents for a single container

India's export sector is being "strangled by a bureaucratic system," security analyst and Observer Research Foundation senior fellow Sushant Sareen warned, after fresh complaints from exporters about excessive documentation requirements. "This is what the govt needs to address if the PM’s assurance to promote industry, trade, exports has to translate on ground. There are solutions to end extortion and inspector raj," Sareen wrote on X.

His remarks came after Rajan Bhosale, entrepreneur and Director at Topsail Appliances Pvt Ltd, described export paperwork as a "major hurdle" for manufacturing-led growth. In a podcast, Bhosale revealed that shipping a single container requires generating 17 to 18 different documents, ranging from commercial invoices and e-way bills to insurance papers and declarations. "If the customer only needs an invoice and packing list, then why do we need so many documents?" he asked.

Comparing India's red tape with China's streamlined practices, Bhosale said, "There, a vehicle can leave the factory with just two blank papers. Here, the same process takes as much time as it does to load the entire container." He added that companies are forced to employ staff solely to manage paperwork, inflating costs and increasing risks. "It's not just time-consuming - it's expensive. A mistake in the paperwork can even halt GST processing, so every document needs to be double-checked," he said.

Calling for reform, Bhosale urged the government to consolidate export requirements into fewer, simplified forms. "If this reaches Modi ji, my request to him is to solve this one issue. Exporters bring in dollars for the country. We are strengthening the economy and we deserve a more efficient system," he said.

His plea drew backing from business leaders. Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital and former Infosys CFO, amplified Bhosale's concerns on X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “For our PM @narendramodi We need to reduce the documentation for exports. Need big reforms, reduce suffering of business @nsitharaman @FinMinIndia @PiyushGoyal @PMOIndia very difficult to get fast to 10tr$ with policies fit for 1 tr$ India will lag behind without big reforms,” Pai wrote on X.