West Bengal Single Window System Bill passed in Assembly

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Single Window System (Management, Control and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 was passed at the state Assembly on Thursday. While tabling the Bill at the Assembly, state Finance and Industry minister Amit Mitra said: "The Bill is necessary to facilitate the investors to obtain services required for setting up industries and operating business in the state in a smooth and time-bound manner."

The Mamata Banerjee-government has formed a 21-member High Powered Committee with principal secretaries and secretaries of 21 departments who will be providing the overall policy guidelines and directions to the agency for facilitating the investors in various aspects in providing the ease of doing business.

The High Powered Committee shall regularly guide, monitor, supervise and review the functioning of the agency. It may refer any matter or issue to the state government with its recommendations or suggestions, if considered necessary.

Pointing out the advantages of the single window system, Mitra said the single window system shall have the provision for online submissions of common applications, the provision for online payments, the provision of online approvals, tracking of realtime status of applications and delivery of services and also the provision for sending out alert through SMS or email notifications to the applicants as and when the application is submitted or query is raised. The Single Window System web portal is maintained by an agency — Silpa Sathi that was established under the aegis of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).

Trinamool Congress MLA Mahua Maitra while commenting on the Bill said that the Silpa Sathi site will have a link which will enable a businessman to know in advance what are the clearances that are needed for going forward with his business.