Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday his government had scrapped some 2,000 outdated British-era laws that required industrialists to be jailed for petty troubles, and India’s ranking in the easy business list had fallen since he took office in the year Significantly improved in 2014.

Modi said under his government, India’s position in the World Bank’s annual ranking of countries for ease of doing business has risen massively – from 142 to 63 in five years. Speaking at a rally in Jamnagar in poll-bound Gujarat, the prime minister said he intends to see India in a top 50 ranking in the assessment report. “The (obsolete) laws have been in place since the days of British (rule) and I hired a whole team (to check them) because I didn’t want the country’s businessmen to end up in jail for trivial matters.

We abolished 2,000 such laws. I need to do more and if traders sitting here know of any such law let me know,” he said. In a veiled attack on Congress, Modi said previous administrations have ignored the issue of improving the country’s business environment.

“Previously, no mention was made of the ease of doing business…compared to my government’s efforts. We have legally changed the laws and system which has helped improve India’s ranking. When I became Prime Minister (2014) it was India 142nd (on the Easy of Doing Business list). We worked hard for 5-6 years and ended up at #63. “If we try hard, we will go under 50. Such a massive improvement isn’t just limited to papers… small businesses are helping to improve things on the ground,” the Prime Minister said.

Modi also praised former Jamnagar farmhand Digvijay Singh for the help he provided to the people of Poland during World War II. “Poland helped us when we brought our students back from (war-torn) Ukraine as the former ruler of Jamnagar Digvijay Singh had helped the Polish people during World War II,” the prime minister said.