Tamil Nadu takes the e-way for ease of doing business

The nodal agency, which has been supporting and driving all the state’s e-Governance initiatives, will integrate the processes followed by the agencies such as the Electricity Board and Pollution Control Board to expedite the regulatory approvals and bring in more accountability, a government official told DTNext. 

The TN Industries Department is taking measures to address the issues of doing business with ease. For starters, the multiple agencies involved in giving clearances for setting up businesses will be integrated with the help of the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA). 

Ever since the state slipped in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking, released before the demonetisation drive, the government machinery has been on  the overdrive. “We certainly could have scored a few notches higher on the business ease ranking, but for a few technology-centric hurdles.  A few departments are yet to be fully-computerised. And there are some processes that can’t be digitised or overlooked. For instance, inspectors on the ground are limited when it comes to compliance reportage of prospective companies.” 

The official brings up the case of the faulty twin towers in Moulivakkam, one of which collapsed two and a half years ago, killing 61 people. “The stakeholders involved in projects provided with a ‘Deemed to be Approved’ status often flout the norms by commencing construction, without getting the final approval. Physical (Offline) inspections are critical in the completion of compliance reports, which could be sped up by the creation of an integrated portal,” the official explains. 

“We have expressed concerns to the Centre on redundancies in many of the parameters used for rank evaluation. We have also participated in the discussions revolving around this matter,” the official adds.