PANAJI
Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in its pre-budget submission to the State government, has suggested some measures to boost the overall businesses, assess the problems faced by the existing units and also look into the possibilities of reviving the closed units.
“A three-to-five-member task force, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Chief Secretary, can be set up to asses the issues and difficulties faced by new, existing and closed units,” says Manoj Caculo, president, GCCI.
Mentioning that the revival of mining and related activities or earning revenue from them is uncertain at the moment, Caculo expresses that only manufacturing sector and tourism seem to provide stability and growth to the State economy.
GCCI suggests that installing fire hydrants at all industrial estates to ensure fire protection and implementing fire safety requirements under National Building Code of India in Goa would be a positive step which would encourage the setting up of new units.
As there is shortage of water at most of the industrial estates, it is not feasible for each unit to store huge quantities of water without utilising it except in case of emergency. Instead of each of the 2500+ individual units setting up their own fire hydrant system, the government can provide a fire hydrant system in all the 20 industrial estates, suggests GCCI.
GCCI also suggests unbundling of electricity department and bifurcate it transmission and distribution to facilitate in monitoring the power purchase and inter and intra state transmission losses which are ultimately passed on to the industrial/domestic consumers.
The subsidy given to LT consumers should be extended to HT consumers as well, to boost the use of solar power and help the State to achieve the target in renewable energy. Also, the cost of natural gas in Goa is high due to the 12.5 per cent VAT, which should be reduced to 3 per cent. The press note mentions that for the last two years or so, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has not allotted any of the plots to industry, making the industry deprived of this facility. Goa IDC needs to be relieved of the loan and interest burden, suggests GCCI. The sick and closed units should be rejuvenated. Around 300 units are sick and closed. They have financial burden too. A solution needs to be arrived at, to resolve their issues and be operative again.
The State government should support local entrepreneurs and business community by ensuring that at least 50 per cent of all requirements of government department should be sourced locally. Government should implement IT policy provision to allot at least 50 per cent of all government IT Business to local start-ups and other IT companies in Goa, feels GCCI.
One of the suggestions is regarding automatic extension of licences, permissions of Pollution Control Board, Factories and Boilers, Shops and Establishments, FDA etc by at least six months, as many of the units are still closed or not operational due to the lockdown.
Also, GCCI suggests that the stamp duty should be exempted where there is no consideration for transfer of assets.
In tourism, there should be ease of doing business. It is proposed to extend the validity of all required licenses to five years and the immediate implementation of the Goa Tourism Board, after its suggested amendments are implemented, to take charge of the promotion of Goa in these markets. Proper beach management for clean beaches, demarcated areas for hawkers at one km intervals in a pattern of a mini bazaars should be created. At least five beaches should be identified and readied for Blue Flag classification. Encouraging home stays and making provisions for soft loans to house owners to restore their houses and convert them into homestays will attract revenue, feels GCCI.
If accommodation in form of villas, apartments, flats, private rooms, rooms and residential houses, temporary accommodations like huts, log cabins and wooden rooms is registered, it will bring revenue to the government in terms of licence fee, VAT and GST.
