India points to inconsistencies in OECD report

The OECD Services Trade Restrictive Index (STRI) report for 2018 has evaluated a total of 45 economies (36 OECD and the rest non-OECD) and 22 sectors. According to the report, the Indian services sector has been regarded as highly restrictive in areas such as FDI. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, has pointed out that there are theoretical & empirical inconsistencies with the current methodology. It also stated that the findings are surprising, since India has taken quite a few measures to liberalize its economy since 1991.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) first launched the STRI, which ranks countries based on their services trade policies, in 2014.