Government unveils single-window system to ease business clearances – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday unveiled a National Single Window System to ease clearances for businesses. The platform will have 18 central departments and nine states offering clearances with more agencies to come on board in coming months.
“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 platform is an enabler for businesses,” he said at an event for the soft launch of the platform. Goyal said another 14 central government departments and five states may come on board in next few months.
Through the portal, businesses can also hold video consultations with officers, which may be recorded, and will provide transparency in dealings. Although the government didn’t specify it, transactions undertaken through platform can help it specifically point to agencies or officials who are holding up approvals. The minister further said that there is no pressure on any department or state to come on board or specify timelines. He said some states have decided to fix deadlines for clearances after which it would be deemed to have been approved.