DIPP plans one form for all clearances

New Delhi: To make it easier to set up a business, the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) may introduce a single application form for central and state clearances.

“What we are trying to do is devise a common digital application form that an entrepreneur has to fill only once—be it for central or state government clearances,” said Shatrughna Singh, additional secretary with DIPP.

He was speaking at an event organized by the industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).

“I don’t say we can achieve it overnight but we are inching towards it,” he said. He did not provide a specific time frame.

Singh said the common application form for businesses would be followed by a mechanism to ensure time-bound clearances. “For time-bound clearances, there is going to be a monitoring system... if there are problems, we’ll try and fix them,” he said.

DIPP has launched various initiatives in line with the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) thrust on improving the ease of doing business and promoting the Make In India campaign.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to push India to the top 50 in the World Bank rankings on the ease of doing business from its current rank of 142.

Singh went on to add that a “huge” effort was on within the DIPP to streamline several rules to improve the business environment.

He said the department had also provided for a facilitation cell to hand-hold businesses in their initial stages.

The DIPP had also integrated 14 central government services on its eBiz portal and was working on bringing 12 more central services and some state services on the platform.

Reacting to the plan, D.K. Srivastava, chief policy advisor at consultancy EY Llp, said, “There are various parameters for evaluating ease of doing business. There is a common form for registering businesses and now with the proposed common form for seeking central and state clearances, the ease of setting up a new business will definitely improve. The government must also work on other parameters such as tax issues and competitive conditions.”