In order to transform the Goa Investment Promotion Board (IPB) into a true-single window system, thus making it easier for investment projects to obtain permissions; the State has begun identifying steps to amend the Goa Investment Promotion Board Act.
One of the important proposals that the industries department is considering is the possibility of deemed approvals if departments do not dispose of permissions within a stipulated period.
Last year, the Government of Goa took up the decision to amend the IPB Act in order to improve the ease of doing business and facilitate the implementation of a single window system.
A senior government official stated that the state is bringing in a lot of amendments in order to make IPB more industry friendly and permissions that don’t come from certain departments should be considered as deemed permission given to a particular company or agency.
An eleven member task force committee headed by Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, has been constituted by the state government, to recommend changes in the IPB Act. Shrinivas Dempo is the vice chairman along with Aakash Khaunte, Damodar Kochkar, Atrey Sawant, Adv. Maria Correia, Dean Menezes, Swati Salgaonkar, Ralph de Souza as members on the committee.
Several government processes has already been brought online by the State in order to enable industries to apply for permissions online through a single portal. Once an investment project is cleared by the board, the responsibility to obtain the required permissions will rest with the IPB chief executive officer.
The industry has long griped about the Goa IPB that it does not function as a single-window system in the real sense as investors have to approach several departments to obtain clearances.
The department for promotion of Industry and Internal Trade has developed the Industrial Information System portal, a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas and groups across the country.
Data about Goa’s industrial land will be hosted on the IIS portal so that investors can access investors can access information about land availability, distance from key logistic hubs and other details.
