Kerala industry has set its eyes on substantially improving the State’s position in the Ease of Doing Business ranking after moving up to the 15th position in 2022 from being at the 28th position in 2019. The Ease of Doing Business index is a World Bank initiative to rank States and Union Territories in terms of the business environment decided, among other factors, by the ease with which businesses can be launched and run.
A face-to-face programme organised by the Kerala State Small Industries Association (KSSIA) here on Saturday with Principal Secretary A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish saw promoters responding positively to the initiative to rank States according to the prevailing industry and business environment. President of the association A. Nisarudeen expressed optimism that Kerala will do well in the ranking process now under way.
Mr. Hanish assured the industrialists that the department has virtually finalised land allotment at industrial estates and development zones to meet a long-standing demand of the unit owners. Land allotment to individual unit owners, who have paid the price of the land through a hire purchase scheme, will facilitate possible transfer units, raising fresh capital and expansion of the units.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that more than 6,800 enterprises from the manufacturing sector will be surveyed for opinion on the business environment in the State for the Ease of Doing Business ranking. Most of the industrial units are members of the KSSIA.
The State government has been proactive in taking steps to improve the atmosphere. Among other things, the State has used IT tools to ensure that governance is more efficient, less time-consuming, transparent and user-friendly, said industry sources.
The Kerala Investment Promotion and Facilitation Act, 2018 which amended several Acts and Rules to create an enabling environment, doing away with redundant and repetitive regulations and the establishment of a standard operating procedure are some of the key steps taken by the government. The web-based application Kerala Single Window Interface for Fast and Transparent Clearance (KSWIFT) for issuing licences and approvals and streamlining of 16 departments and agencies through KSWIFT have helped immensely.
The Industries department is also in the process of scaling up a set of enterprises identified from among the 1 lakh new enterprises launched in 2022. The 1 lakh enterprises have been a success, with the target being achieved even before the conclusion of the last financial year.
