NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government’s attempts to improve the ease of doing business have yielded good result with the country jumping 12 ranks to 130 in the latest ranking compiled by the World Bank India was ranked 142 in the ranking for 2015.Singapore has topped the ranking again. India’s distance to frontier (DTF) score used to compile the rankings improved to 54.68 in 2016 from 53.97 in 2015.The cut-off date for the ranking was June 1, implying that the improvement has been achieved in a short span on one year of this government taking over. In 2015 ranking, the last one of UPA government, India had slipped a few notches to 142.“We have reversed the trend by moving up and no country has moved 12 spots in a year. Major reforms are going to kick in from next year which will further improve our position. We are absolutely confident of being in top 50 in three years as per the target set by PM,” said Amitabh Kant, DIPP Secretary.“Government has taken a lot of micro steps in the last one year and some reforms have been politically sensitive. States have also got into action...if we continue moving up the ranks at this pace we can break into the top 100 very soon,” Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India, said.The World Bank report says India is one of the countries that have made the most improvement, capturing the initiative of the government in a separate section.“India is the South Asian economy recording the biggest increase in the distance to frontier score since 2004,” the report said taking note of the fact that the country has cut down days take to start business.The biggest improvement was in the ‘Getting Electricity” sub component with India’s rank jumping to 70 in 2016 from 137 the year before in the 139 country ranking. The Narendra Modi government has set itself target of breaking into top 50 in this ranking.“In 2014, the government of India launched an ambitious programme of regulatory reform aimed at making it easier to do business. Spanning a range of areas measured by Doing Business, the programme represents a great deal of effort to create a more business friendly environment , particularly in Delhi and Mumbai,” the report said appreciating the effort but cautioned results will take time.“Fostering an environment more supportive of private sector activity will take time. But if the efforts are sustained over the next several years, they could lead to substantial benefits for Indian entrepreneurs — along with potential gains in economic growth and job creation,” the report noted.The ranking is based on business environment in Delhi and Mumbai with 53 and 47 respective weight for these cities.The report noted India made starting a business easier by eliminating the minimum capital requirement and the need to obtain a certificate to commence business operations. Several other initiatives were going on June 1, the cut off date for this year’s data collection, the report noted.“The utility in Delhi made the process for getting an electricity connection simpler and faster by eliminating the internal wiring inspection by the Electrical Inspectorate. The utility in Mumbai reduced the procedures and time required to connect to electricity by improving internal work processes and coordination,” the report noted flagging two areas of improvement.In the case of starting a business India’s rank improved to 155 in 2016 from 158 the year before.Enforcing contracts also the country improved its rank to 178 from 186. In case of protecting minority shareholders India again scored a high rank of 8 though down one rug from 7 last year.In a number of measures such as registering property and getting credit, the country slipped from last year. Dealing with construction permits also remains a big concern with the country scoring a poor 183.