Odisha's GO-SWIFT draws investments to the tune of Rs.10.6 bn in 6 months

The single window portal that has integrated and synchronized myriad applications was rolled out in November 2017 and has received 200 proposals, promising employment for over 10,500

Government of Odisha's Single Window for Investor Facilitation & Tracking abbreviated as GO-SWIFT has bagged 200 investment proposals in a span of six months. 

The single window portal that has integrated and synchronized myriad applications was rolled out in November 2017. It has received the 200th proposal from Mumbai-based Hind Aluminium Industries. The company has committed an investment of Rs 563 million at the Angul aluminium park, jointly developed by state government owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) and National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco). At the aluminium park, Hind Aluminium Industries will install a facility to manufacture 40,000 tonnes per year of aluminium conductors. The project envisages employment for 200 people.

Cumulatively, GO-SWIFT has bagged investment commitments valued at Rs 10.6 billion, promising employment for over 10,500. The investment proposals span sectors like food processing, seafood, aluminium downstream, apparel, cement and tourism. Referenced on a six-month period before GO-SWIFT's launch, the quantum of investment proposals post the launch of the portal has risen by 37 per cent.

Sanjeev Chopra, principal secretary (industries), Odisha said, “We are committed to ensuring investor delight and it is highly encouraging to note that within a short span of six months, GO-SWIFT has received over 200 investment proposals from investors across the country. Due to the significant ease of application and expeditious approval process, there has been a considerable increase in the number of investors wanting to set up their business in the state. We will continue to raise the bar for ease of doing business and are focused on speedy implementation of investment proposals on the ground.”

Over the past six months, the state government has received and cleared proposals by some of the leading companies- Manpasand Beverages, ITC Foods, Apar Industries Limited, Sri Malani Foams (a company from the house of Century brand of mattresses), Vedanta and Lalchand Resorts to name just a few.

GO-SWIFT has seamlessly integrated all existing technological applications of the industries department via the Single-Sign on Framework and covers all aspects of B2G (Business to Government) interface during the investment lifecycle. As a result, an industrial unit can get customized information regarding incentives and requisite approvals about the proposed investment, select land, apply for single window clearance, obtain land and other utilities, get statutory clearances, take advantage of risk-based synchronized inspections by regulatory agencies, obtain post-land allotment services, resolve issues with government departments and also dovetail its CSR activities with the developmental goals of the state. This is first-of-its-kind development by any state in the country. Over 6600 industries have registered themselves on GO-SWIFT so far to avail various kinds of services.

The timelines mandated by Orissa Right to Public Services Act (ORTPSA 2012) have been mapped for each service to ensure that all approvals are delivered in a time-bound manner to the investors. The average time for application of services has come down significantly due to GO-SWIFT. For instance, in the case of Directorate of Factories & Boilers, so far 511 applications have been approved with the average time taken for approval at 25 days. This is lower than the timelines mandated by ORTPSA which is 30 days. Similarly, in the case of Directorate of Labour, 132 applications have been approved so far with the average time taken for approval at 18 days which is significantly lower than the 30 days mandated by ORTPSA.