States seek ease of doing business steps

However, the Centre has told states that investors would need to come through the national portal and apply for state services and not the other way round. This means that an investor logging on to a state’s single-window system cannot apply for Central-level clearances. But investors will be able to apply for state clearances through the national portal.

Several clearances including electricity, factory licence and contract labour licence are related to states, where the investors may apply on the state’s portal. However, in case the investor also needs to apply for a central clearance, it will need to register separately on the national portal, increasing the compliance burden.

The issue was raised during the workshop conducted by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) earlier this month to resolve the queries of states and Union territories related to the national single window clearance, CERSAI, and Indian Industrial Land Bank. Reforms under the Ease of Doing Business or Business Reforms Action Plan 2022 require integration with central portal systems. “Not allowing reverse integration of the single window portal will make compliance cumbersome for investors as they would need to go to the national portal and register there, even though they may have already registered on the state portal to obtain certain licences at the state level. An integration should ideally be both ways centre to states, and states to centre,” said a state official.

The single-window system is an integral part of reforms for states for ease of doing business exercise this year. Nearly 16-17 states have already come on board the national single window portal.

The national single window portal is aimed at making the business registration process easier, allowing the beneficiary to get significant approvals online, without having to run to government offices.

The state ranking for 2022 includes reforms like integration of states’ national single window system, India industrial land bank and CERSAI with the national portal.

Queries mailed to the ministry of commerce and industry on Tuesday remained unanswered.

As per the proposal, the national single window interface will enable obtaining all central and state level clearances like application submission, payment of application fees, tracking the status of application, downloading of final signed certificate and third party verification.

The ease of doing business exercise is being expanded in 2022, with the proposed Business Reform Action Plan to assess states on 263 action points under Ease of Doing Business and 94 action points under “Ease of Living”.

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