Odisha stresses on Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs

To ensure industrial development and generation of employment in the state

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Focusing on the Ease of Doing Business and to improve facilitation for the investors, the Odisha government has stressed on holding the district level single window clearance authority (DLSWCA) and district level facilitation cell (DLFC) meetings regularly at the district level.

DLSWCA, which clears projects up to Rs 50 crore, plays a critical role to play to promote MSMEs in the state and ensure industrial development and generation of employment in the state.

Similarly, DLFC is the entry point for small investors. It is a new concept introduced by the government as a move for Ease of Doing Business in the state and its effective functioning is essential to facilitate and handhold the investors in terms of making available the information regarding the state polices, process the proposals for the DLSWCA and ensure departmental coordination for removal of the difficulties faced by the new as well as existing units. The assessment of land and other utilities are also undertaken by the DLFC.

"The DLSWCA and DLFC meetings are required to be organized on a fixed day every month as the stipulated by the OIF (Odisha Industrial Facilitation) rules. Even if there is no proposal pertaining to new unit, the DLSWCA and DLFC meetings must be held regularly to review the progress of the already approved projects and sort out the bottlenecks being faced by the existing units," chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi wrote to all the district collectors.

Pointing out that the meetings are not conducted regularly in some districts, Padhi said that the collectors need to ensure DLSWCA and DLFC meetings are organized regularly and effectively.

Recently, the state has implemented the online submission and clearance of the combined application form (CAF) through e-Biz portal. Fourteen G2B (government to business) services are now provided on the online platform.

The collectors are also asked to share monthly progress reports on conduct of DLFC and DLSWCA meeting and functioning of e-Biz with the directorate of industries and the MSME department by the 10th of every month.

It may be noted that the Odisha government is taking conscious steps to improve its ranking in the on 'Ease of Doing Business' Index. Odisha ranked seventh in a recent World Bank report on 'Ease of Doing Business' and aims to be among top three states.