India’s ranking in the ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’ is sometimes seen in the news. Which of the following has declared that ranking?

The correct answer is World Bank.

The Ease of Doing Business Index is an index published annually by the World Bank Group. It measures the regulatory environment and the ease with which businesses can be started, operated, and closed in countries across the world. Let us understand this step by step.

Step 1: Understanding the Index
The Ease of Doing Business Index ranks countries based on how conducive their regulatory environment is to the opening and operation of a local firm. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower numerical rank) indicates that the government has created regulations that are more conducive to business operations.

Step 2: Who Publishes It?
This index is published by the World Bank as part of its flagship publication called the Doing Business report. The World Bank is an international financial institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for capital projects.

Step 3: Eliminating the Other Options
Let us see why the other three options are incorrect:

- Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): The OECD publishes various reports and indices such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), but it does not publish the Ease of Doing Business Index.

- World Economic Forum (WEF): The WEF is known for publishing the Global Competitiveness Index and for organizing the annual Davos summit, but it does not publish the Ease of Doing Business Index.

- World Trade Organization (WTO): The WTO is an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade. It publishes trade-related reports but does not publish the Ease of Doing Business Index.

Step 4: Key Parameters Measured
The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business report evaluates countries on several parameters, including:

1. Starting a Business
2. Dealing with Construction Permits
3. Getting Electricity
4. Registering Property
5. Getting Credit
6. Protecting Minority Investors
7. Paying Taxes
8. Trading Across Borders
9. Enforcing Contracts
10. Resolving Insolvency

Step 5: India's Context
India has made significant efforts over the years to improve its ranking on this index. For instance, India jumped from a rank of 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2020 (out of 190 economies), reflecting major regulatory reforms. This improvement was widely reported in the news, making this index a topic of great public and policy interest in India. These rankings were always reported as published by the World Bank.

Conclusion:
The Ease of Doing Business Index is declared/published by the World Bank. It is a globally recognized benchmark for assessing the business-friendliness of a country's regulatory environment, and countries like India actively work toward improving their standing on this index as part of economic reform agendas.