Govt launches National Single Window System

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday soft launched the National Single Window System for businesses and said the portal will usher in freedom from the legacy of running to government offices for approvals and registrations.

The portal as of today hosts approvals across 18 central departments and 9 states, and another 14 central departments and five States will be added by end-December, he said. "This is freedom from bureaucracy and from windows within windows. This is a big step towards Ease of Doing Business. Nobody wants to be a detriment to doing business. This is a giant leap towards making India truly Aatmanirbhar," the minister said.

Goyal said the single window portal will become a one-stop-shop for investors for approvals and clearances. He further said the portal would bring transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the ecosystem and all information will be available on a single dashboard. "This platform is an enabler for businesses. The government has come together to work as Team India in partnership with industry, stakeholders and the people. This collective approach has resulted in this game-changing initiative," he added.

An applicant dashboard would be there on the portal to apply, track and respond to queries. The National Single Window System would "usher in Azadi" from legacy of running to government offices, from paperwork, duplication and information asymmetry, he said. Goyal further said India holds the attention of the world. The entire world, he said is looking at India to rise and claim its rightful place as an economic powerhouse. The minister said with a rapid recovery, "we are back on track to become one of the fastest growing large economies". The National Single Window System is envisioned to address information asymmetry, duplication of information submitted across platforms and authorities and inefficient tracking of approvals and registration faced by investors.

The beta version of the portal is open to all stakeholders and the public. An official release said the portal will progressively onboard a greater number of approvals and licences, based on user/industry feedback. "Though extensive testing by Ministries/States is ongoing, and will continue for next three months to stabilize and optimize the platform, it is critical that extensive feedback from the industry users is accommodated to ensure comprehensiveness and high utility for investors and entrepreneurs," it said.