Latest news with #NSWS
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Enact legislation to ensure time-bound delivery of services: CII
Industry lobby CII on Sunday called for the enactment of a central legislation to guarantee time-bound delivery of services to businesses by Union ministries, with penalties for delays or deficiencies and a strong grievance redressal framework. This reform, it argued, is crucial for strengthening regulatory certainty, enhancing predictability and improving the overall ease of doing business in India. A key challenge remains the uncertainty on timelines for approval, which creates delays and cascading costs. Addressing this issue would strengthen confidence and support more timely and predictable service delivery, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated. "Despite commendable initiatives to mandate timelines in a range of areas, businesses continue to face procedural delays, regulatory uncertainty and non-adherence to timelines, significantly affecting operational efficiency and long-term investment planning. Absence of strictly enforced timelines is also felt in areas such as government refunds, disbursement of funds and subsidies, and raising claims by government departments on returns filed by businesses, which often causes cash flow disruptions and adds to compliance burden and uncertainty," said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII. While most Indian states have enacted their own Right to Services or Public Services Guarantee Acts, which ensure timely delivery of specified public services to citizens, no such central legislation exists to ensure timely service delivery by central ministries. "A legislation for time-bound delivery of services at the central level that ensures time-bound and faceless delivery of government services to businesses, with penalties for delays or deficiencies and a strong grievance redressal framework, would address this issue. Such a law would bring legal enforceability and institutional accountability to how public services are delivered to enterprises," Banerjee said. These services must be delivered within stipulated timelines, with clear tracking and provision of deemed approval in cases where deadlines are breached. Such deemed approvals should hold the same statutory validity as those granted through standard processes and must be enabled through faceless, digital channels to enhance transparency and reduce discretion. The proposed legislation should also require authorities to record and provide clear reasons for any rejection and establish a strong, multi-tiered grievance redressal system. This could include time-bound appeals, escalation pathways, digital complaint tracking, and compensatory payment in cases of prolonged inaction, CII suggested. To operationalise this framework for regulatory approvals, renewals, and exits, CII has additionally proposed having a separate legislation for Union ministries and departments mandating that all such services be delivered exclusively through the National Single Window System (NSWS), which is the central digital platform launched in 2021 for regulatory applications across central ministries and states. While NSWS is a landmark reform, it currently faces limitations due to partial integration by ministries and states. For instance, despite requiring numerous clearances, the Ministry of Labour and Employment currently offers only five approvals on the NSWS platform. In this context, CII emphasised that NSWS should be the exclusive platform for processing and granting all central approvals. Granting it a legal status and linking it to the proposed Central Right to Services legislation would establish NSWS as the cornerstone for enforcing timelines, enabling deemed approvals, and providing real-time visibility to both businesses and regulators, CII said. "Providing statutory backing to NSWS will institutionalise its mandate, ensure universal adoption by central ministries, empower states to notify their rules for integration, and establish NSWS as the single digital interface through which services are applied for and delivered to businesses. This shall ensure that legally mandated timelines are met through a unified, accountable digital platform," said Banerjee. If developed and implemented effectively, this combined legislative and digital reform has the potential to be a game-changer for India's regulatory ecosystem, the industry lobby said. As India aspires to become a global manufacturing and investment hub under its India @100 vision, aligning of legal mandates with a fully functional digital backbone will play a pivotal role in enhancing investor confidence and ensuring delivery-driven governance, Banerjee observed.
Mint
2 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Enact legislation to ensure time-bound delivery of services to businesses by ministries: CII
New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) Industry lobby CII on Sunday called for the enactment of a central legislation to guarantee time-bound delivery of services to businesses by Union ministries, with penalties for delays or deficiencies and a strong grievance redressal framework. This reform, it argued, is crucial for strengthening regulatory certainty, enhancing predictability and improving the overall ease of doing business in India. A key challenge remains the uncertainty on timelines for approval, which creates delays and cascading costs. Addressing this issue would strengthen confidence and support more timely and predictable service delivery, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated. "Despite commendable initiatives to mandate timelines in a range of areas, businesses continue to face procedural delays, regulatory uncertainty and non-adherence to timelines, significantly affecting operational efficiency and long-term investment planning. Absence of strictly enforced timelines is also felt in areas such as government refunds, disbursement of funds and subsidies, and raising claims by government departments on returns filed by businesses, which often causes cash flow disruptions and adds to compliance burden and uncertainty," said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII. While most Indian states have enacted their own Right to Services or Public Services Guarantee Acts, which ensure timely delivery of specified public services to citizens, no such central legislation exists to ensure timely service delivery by central ministries. "A legislation for time-bound delivery of services at the central level that ensures time-bound and faceless delivery of government services to businesses, with penalties for delays or deficiencies and a strong grievance redressal framework, would address this issue. Such a law would bring legal enforceability and institutional accountability to how public services are delivered to enterprises," Banerjee said. These services must be delivered within stipulated timelines, with clear tracking and provision of deemed approval in cases where deadlines are breached. Such deemed approvals should hold the same statutory validity as those granted through standard processes and must be enabled through faceless, digital channels to enhance transparency and reduce discretion. The proposed legislation should also require authorities to record and provide clear reasons for any rejection and establish a strong, multi-tiered grievance redressal system. This could include time-bound appeals, escalation pathways, digital complaint tracking, and compensatory payment in cases of prolonged inaction, CII suggested. To operationalise this framework for regulatory approvals, renewals, and exits, CII has additionally proposed having a separate legislation for Union ministries and departments mandating that all such services be delivered exclusively through the National Single Window System (NSWS), which is the central digital platform launched in 2021 for regulatory applications across central ministries and states. While NSWS is a landmark reform, it currently faces limitations due to partial integration by ministries and states. For instance, despite requiring numerous clearances, the Ministry of Labour and Employment currently offers only five approvals on the NSWS platform. In this context, CII emphasised that NSWS should be the exclusive platform for processing and granting all central approvals. Granting it a legal status and linking it to the proposed Central Right to Services legislation would establish NSWS as the cornerstone for enforcing timelines, enabling deemed approvals, and providing real-time visibility to both businesses and regulators, CII said. "Providing statutory backing to NSWS will institutionalise its mandate, ensure universal adoption by central ministries, empower states to notify their rules for integration, and establish NSWS as the single digital interface through which services are applied for and delivered to businesses. This shall ensure that legally mandated timelines are met through a unified, accountable digital platform," said Banerjee. If developed and implemented effectively, this combined legislative and digital reform has the potential to be a game-changer for India's regulatory ecosystem, the industry lobby said. As India aspires to become a global manufacturing and investment hub under its India @100 vision, aligning of legal mandates with a fully functional digital backbone will play a pivotal role in enhancing investor confidence and ensuring delivery-driven governance, Banerjee observed.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
22-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
DPIIT asks ministries to compile list of business approvals to improve NSWS
Government departments are compiling a list of all business approvals, renewals, registrations and compliances required by business entities to identify duplication and streamline processes, according to official sources. This effort is part of the National Single Window System (NSWS) initiative, aimed at providing businesses a unified digital platform for seamless approvals from both Central and State governments. The initiative is being led by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), which has been engaging with various government stakeholders and industry representatives to improve user experience on the single window system. Industry associations, sources said, have recommended creating an exhaustive, ministry-wise list of approvals and eliminating additional or redundant approvals that fall outside this list. 'The idea is to have symmetry of information, ensure transparency, improve the ease of doing business in the country and reduce the compliance burden,' a senior official said. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal launched the NSWS in September 2021. 'The system has been working very smoothly for domestic as well as foreign investors. It has made the lives of investors easier. There is scope for more approvals, including from states, to move to this platform,' said Atul Pandey, Partner, Khaitan & Co. NSWS is a digital platform designed to help investors identify and apply for required approvals based on their business needs. Since investment proposals typically involve multiple approvals across states and departments, the NSWS seeks to eliminate the need for multiple applications across different portals and reduce the number of physical office visits, enabling time-bound clearances. The DPIIT has also held a series of meetings with industry associations, urging them to promote usage of the portal among their members. Users can currently access over 671 Central Approvals and 6,880 State Approvals through the system. The portal now hosts applications for approvals from 32 Central Ministries and Departments, and 29 State Governments. NSWS has also onboarded various government schemes, including the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP), Sugar and Ethanol Policy, and the National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules under the PLI Schemes. Under these schemes, NSWS has facilitated over 400 investors in applying for DPIIT's IFLDP applications, while 25 investors have submitted applications for Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities.
Mint
05-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Registrars of Companies turn up the heat on Nidhi companies for company law violations
New Delhi: Registrars of Companies (RoCs) across the country have turned up the heat on Nidhi companies and their directors for violations of company law, signalling close regulatory scrutiny over these non-bank lenders. So far this year, 63 penalty orders have been issued against these companies and their directors for violations, against 33 over the same period a year ago, official data showed. These account for nearly a fourth of all adjudication orders issued by RoCs this year. Breaches by Nidhi companies include not maintaining a registered office, not appointing a statutory auditor or filing audit reports, not reporting board resolutions to the RoCs, and operating without securing Nidhi company status from the government, the penalty orders issued by RoCs showed. A Nidhi company is a non-banking finance company that accepts deposits from its members and lends only to them. Operating under Section 406 of the Companies Act, it must have at least 200 members within a year of its incorporation and maintain a certain ratio of capital base to deposits to prevent excessive leverage. RoCs have been keeping a close eye on these companies as they accept public funds and many of them operate in rural areas, making members of the community vulnerable to any failure or wrongdoing, said a person informed about the development. 'There are various other forms of mutual benefit and lending institutions in the country, including micro-finance companies, chit funds, cooperative societies and small non-bank lenders to address the financial needs of people,' said this person, who did not wish to be named. These entities are subject to oversight from state governments, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the ministry of cooperation. 'After the revamping of the statutory filing processes of companies, RoCs are now more focused on enforcement activities rather than spending their time and resources taking on record the statutory filings. This is leading to enhanced oversight of corporate governance,' the person added. In 2023 the ministry set up a centralised agency for voluntary closure, allowing businesses keen to down shutters anywhere in the country to approach the Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (CPACE) in Manesar. It also integrated its statutory filing portal MCA21 with the National Single Window System (NSWS), which offers various central and state approvals in one place, for registering new businesses. Besides, several statutory filings now require only an online acknowledgement, not approvals from RoCs, which allows them to focus on enforcement and adjudication. Queries emailed to the ministry of corporate affairs spokesperson on Wednesday remained unanswered at the time of publishing.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Govt to put gur, khandsari under Control Order regulation, help farmers
The Central government has decided to notify draft amendments to the Sugar Control Order of 1966, said its Food Secretary on Thursday, seeking to streamline regulations and prod gur and khandsari units to pay farmers fairly. The amendments will enable the government to bring around 66 large gur and khandsari (unrefined raw sugar) units within the Control Order. The units have a sugarcane crushing capacity of at least 500 TCD (tonnes crushed per day) and are largely located in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The step will ensure payment of fair and remunerative prices to cane farmers and help in accurate estimation of sugar production. Around 31 per cent of India' annual sugarcane production of 435 million tonnes is consumed by the gur, khandsari and jaggery units. "This revision aims to simplify and streamline the regulatory framework governing the sugar sector in line with current industry dynamics and technological advancements," said Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra on Thursday. It will ensure cane farmers receive fair and remunerative prices from khandsari factories on the basis of improved accuracy in sugar production estimates, he said. According to Ashwani Srivastava, Joint Secretary in the Food Ministry, India has 373 khandsari units with a total capacity of about 95,000 TCD. "Out of these, 66 units have a capacity of more than 500 TCD. They will now be regulated under the order," Srivastava said, adding that these units will need to register on the digital National Single Window System (NSWS). The units will have two months to register on NSWS. Various byproducts, like cane bagasse, molasses, press mud cake and ethanol, have been included in the control order. The amended order incorporates definitions from the Food Safety Standard Authority of India for various sugar products and includes clauses related to sugar price regulation, previously part of a separate order. Sugar exports Mills might end up exporting 0.8 million tonnes of sugar — one million tonnes is allocated for 2025-26 season — due to low demand. The balance 0.2 million tonnes will be ploughed back into the country. India has so far exported 0.3 million tonnes of sugar this year.
