As an aftermath of Union minister, Piyush Goyal’s strong opinions on Indian startups, he is under a close lens by founders and influential voices. Former Infosys director and investor Mohandas Pai took to social media and expressed his discontent with the bureaucratic challenges small exporters face. Calling it “harassment”, he commented on the lack of “ease of doing business” parameters in India.
Tagging India’s who’s-who in the post sought answers from the RBI, PMO and the Ministry of Finance. Resharing a post containing the Reddit post, the former Infosys director said, “How can small exporters survive so much documentation…When will we have EODB?”
Minister @PiyushGoyal pl have a look. How can small exporters survive with so much of documentation from @cbic and @RBI This harassment is too much. When will we have EODB? @DPIITGoI @RBI RBI just does not care for citizens.They are a law into themselves with no accountability… https://t.co/tiXiAF9fAQ
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) April 18, 2025
The post on the subreddit (r/StartUpIndia) was from a B2C exporter advising Indians to not export business from India because the “red tap will kill” them. In the detailed post she mentioned how he struggled navigating the endless paperwork, GST complications and customs formalities hampering his attempt at global trade. With a growing business on one hand, the user was burdened with possibility of “GST scrutiny and associated harassment.”
At a time when Indian startups are urged to “do better”, the redditor questioned, “why make exports so difficult? Do I run a business for profit or do I work on complicated compliances that needs a team larger than my core business!”. The user overwhelmed and disheartened advised aspiring B2C exporters that “You are better of moving to Dubai”, considering the option as better than carrying out trade from India.
Pai’s tweet prompted an urgent call for government intervention including simplifying export documentation, streamlining customs procedures, and offering better support for startups entering global markets. Interestingly, the post has received an audience from Suresh Nakhua, the official spokesperson for BJP Mumbai. He pointed out six fallacies in the reddit post shared earlier this month, calling it a “rant for being asked to be compliant.”
I have myself been an exporter & also qualified Customs Broker and writing this from my personal experience.
The post has many inaccuracies.
1) IEC (Importer Exporter Code) issuance is ONE-TIME work. It is generated online and is issued immediately (with Risk profile tagged) -… https://t.co/Qqls7YY3vz
— Suresh Nakhua 🇮🇳 (@SureshNakhua) April 18, 2025
With India aiming to scale its exports significantly as part of its economic growth strategy, experts ponder how the future of India’s global trade will look like. Small startup owners and franchise owners alike are sceptical how the global economy will affect them. However, the common ground remains India’s feat in trade relations and global competitiveness.