PANAJI
The State cabinet on Wednesday cleared the proposal to decriminalise several laws in consultation with the Centre to buttress its efforts to improve its Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) standing even as it gave its nod for the new Goa Industrial Growth and Investment Promotion Policy, 2022.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the media that the proposal to decriminalise some laws is part of a larger policy being adopted nationally to undo impediments posed by outdated laws related to industry.
Some more than 40 such statutes are on the radar for decriminalisation and Wednesday’s cabinet meeting approved 18 of these, Sawant said.
Meanwhile, the new industrial policy approved by the cabinet on Wednesday envisages transferring all of the government’s powers to the State-owned Goa Industrial Development Corporation.
Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho had on Tuesday said in the Goa Legislative
Assembly that the policy also aims to provide an efficient single window system for permissions to be granted to industry in a one-month time frame.
All powers are also being vested in the Investment Promotion Board (IPB) and Investment Promotion Area (IPA), Godinho said.
The policy also seeks to ensure 60% employment for locals by linking incentives, he added.
Meanwhile in another significant decision, the cabinet on Wednesday approved
granting of administrative approval for the implementation of a legislation for protection of journalists which was enacted in 2020.
The cabinet also approved the scheme for giving free laptops to SC and ST students under the Tribal and SC Sub plans.
Another decision taken by the cabinet was to appoint former bureaucrat N D Agarwal as advisor in the Printing Press department.
