Assam creates single window clearance system to boost investment

The Assam government has set up a single window clearance system at all district headquarters to help potential investors and to eradicate corruption, state Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said on Saturday.

Addressing newspersons at the Assam capital complex in Dispur, Patowary said that this single window clearance system will enable potential investors to apply online for all the clearance certificates and no objection certificates.

Patowary, who was addressing his first press conference after taking oath as Industry and Commerce Minister two weeks ago, said the new government has introduced the Assam Ease of Doing Business Bill 2016 in the House on June 3 this year, which was passed subsequently.

"The Bill envisages to constitute an Assam Bureau of Investment Promotion (ABIP) and creation of a single window clearance system to boost investment in the state," he said.

"The government has also taken steps to create a land bank with government surplus land within 100 days which will help in consideration of investment proposals from potential investors," Patowary said, adding that the government will also request the state revenue and public enterprise departments to hand over unused lands to the industry department so that the government can actively consider investment proposals.

He said that at present the state has only 2,107 bighas of such land.

"It is noticed that getting clearances or licenses or no objection certificates from different government departments is not an easy task. It is seen that for setting up of an industry, almost 70 applications have to be submitted to 21 government departments," he said, adding that the new government wants to ease the process for all investors.

Asked about the existing North East Industry and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP), 2007, the minister said that while the existing NEIIPP will continue till 2017, the government might consider certain amendments in the existing policy to encourage further investment in the state as per its requirement.

Patowary said the government has already formed a committee to study the status of the closed industrial units and that efforts will be on to revive them considering their viability and feasibility. "We might think of reviving the closed industrial units in the state by considering private and Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode in due course of time," he added.

--IANS

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