THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
The single-window system in Goa has been linked to the national single window system (NSWS) along with 12 other States, the Lok Sabha was told in a written reply by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash. The NSWS has been envisioned as a one-stop shop for taking all the regulatory approvals and services in the country. Currently, IT portals of 19 ministries/departments and 13 states' single-window systems have been linked with the NSWS portal.
Goa Single Window System, an initiative of the government of Goa to provide a one stop-shop to all its business users and new investors is aimed at bringing transparency in the operations. The system was developed under the e-District and Ease of Doing Business initiatives undertaken by the State government. This online platform brought all government-to-citizen (G2C) and government-to-business (G2B) services under one roof. However, there were some glitches in the operation and thus it did not receive 100 % success. Now that it has been linked to the national portal of single window, speed and upgradation will happen, thus aiding users in Goa, feel industry experts.
Commenting on whether and how this linking would help Goan industries, businesses and start-ups, Rajkumar Kamat, founder and MD, EP Biocomposites LTD and executive director of BNI Goa, explains, “Many of the industry services and approvals in Goa have gone online. But there are multiple technical and competency glitches which do not allow the objective of speed and non-interaction to be met. I believe, linking the State single-window system to the National single-window system will force the Goa team to get their act together and speedily upgrade.”
Sairaj Dhond, founder and CEO, Wakao Foods opines that this will be an amazing thing for all entrepreneurs looking at setting up shop in Goa. “Delay in approvals and red tape in the bureaucratic set-up is the biggest hindrance to development. If this can be solved through a single window set-up then there is nothing like that,” says Dhond.
“It's a move in the right direction,” says Suprajit Raikar, proprietor, Raika & Co, adding, “National single-window system would bring transparency, swift processing of application and accountability. The portal would aid not just entrepreneurs but also common citizens looking to understand the process for starting a business in India.”
Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (IPB) is the State Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) and the owner of the G2B single window system. Both these platforms are developed and maintained by Goa Electronics Limited (GEL). While the registration for business users and citizen users is separate, both platforms are inter-linked for added convenience.
