'Other countries issue 100 notices, India issues 800': Vedanta's Anil Agarwal calls for trust-based regulation

Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal on Monday called for India to move further towards "trust-based regulation", saying excessive notices and compliance requirements distract businesses and officials from productive work.

He said India issues disproportionately high notices compared to other countries despite having a smaller production base. "AI has revealed that if other countries issue 100 notices, India issues 800! And with one-third production level," Agarwal wrote in a social media post on X.

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"There must be some accountability. But more fundamentally, this only distracts management and officials from productive activity. Jan Vishwas philosophy will change this."

Agarwal linked the shift to the Narendra Modi government's push towards "minimum government, maximum governance" and cited changes in customs clearance and tax administration as examples of trust-based systems.

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"Many of you would remember the time when it used to take a long time to clear customs at Indian airports. It was a stressful experience. Today, 99.9% passengers go through without any waiting or checking," he wrote. "Even the payment of income tax involves no interface with officials."

According to Agarwal, regulation should become lighter unless cases involve serious crimes. "Unless a matter involves arms smuggling, narcotics or human trafficking, trust-based regulation should be the norm," he said.

The Vedanta boss also backed the recently passed Jan Vishwas Bill, saying it would help improve the ease of doing business and reduce unnecessary regulatory hurdles.

Last month, Parliament passed a bill to amend 784 provisions across 79 central laws to decriminalise and rationalise minor offences. Of these, 717 provisions relate to decriminalising minor offences, while 67 are aimed at improving ease of living.

The laws fall under 23 ministries, including coal, commerce and industry, shipping, urban development and transport.

Agarwal argued that reducing friction for businesses would help India boost manufacturing, create jobs and cut import dependence. "Trust, respect and encouragement for our businesspeople and entrepreneurs will be a game changer," he wrote. "All that is required is a smooth road with no speed breakers, just like the Government has done for national highways, where vehicles don’t have to stop to pay tolls. It's automated."