The National Single Window System (NSWS) Portal, which facilitates various central, state, and union territory clearances, recently hit a new milestone, crossing 75,000 approvals. NSWS was created by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), following the government’s decision to create an Investment Clearance Cell (ICC).
NSWS is a single platform that allows investors, entrepreneurs, and businesses to identify, apply for, track, and obtain approvals and clearances. Since its inception, NSWS has received 420,000 unique visitors from 157 countries. Over 150,000 investors have used the KYA (Know Your Approvals) module of NSWS to know the list of approvals they require for their specific business cases. A total of 75,599 approvals have been granted out of over 123,000 applications received.
Out of these, 57,850 approvals have been approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Ministry of Consumers Affairs has approved more than 17,150 approvals. NSWS provides a single interface to apply for all G2B (government to business) clearances from various ministries/departments as well as eliminates the duplication of work by auto-populating form fields across different approvals based on a single investor’s profile.
NSWS has also onboarded various government schemes, including the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, Indian Footwear and Leather Development Policy (IFLDP), Sugar and Ethanol Policy, and the National Programme on High-Efficiency Solar PV Modules. Through these initiatives, NSWS has enabled more than 400 investors to apply for DPIIT’s IFLDP applications. 25 investors have applied for Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) applications and 19 investors have applied for Automated Testing Stations (ATS) applications. More than 2,000 investors have applied for various registrations under the Sugar and Ethanol Scheme, which is by the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
In the attempt to build national single window architecture, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, held a meeting with all the states and ministries last month, where recommendations were given by stakeholders to further streamline the entire ecosystem. The portal will progressively work to onboard more approvals and licenses, based on user and industrial feedback. In this regard, preparatory meetings have been held to discuss the integration status of various regions and departments. DPIIT and Invest India have been proactively holding regular reviews with the ministries, states, and industry associations in the process of setting up the NSWS to ensure an inclusive approach to evolving the national portal. Over 150 participants from states and ministries have participated in the review meetings.
The National Single Window System was soft-launched to the public in September 2021 by Goyal. Currently, investors can apply for approvals from 27 central ministries/departments and 19 states/union territories on the portal. The portal is envisioned as a one-stop shop for investors for taking all the regulatory approvals and services related to investments.
According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the NSWS initiative is the epitome of the ‘Whole of Government’ approach with different parts and regions of the country coming together to facilitate investor-related clearances on a single portal, with transparency and accountability. The system aims to reduce duplicities in information submission and compliance burden and promote sector-specific reforms and schemes. It reduces the gestation period of projects and strives to promote the ease of starting and doing business.
