Unwanted regulatory regime, excessive paper work, collecting scores of “No objection certificates” from numerous departments, red-tape, delays and irritating administrative outdated procedures and the like have proved to be the bane behind investors feeling shy to invest and establish business entities in Jammu and Kashmir. Such an approach, as such, has resulted in retarding the progress, shrinking of employment opportunities and impacting the GDP. In this era of more of opening up and freeing the processes and structures from unwanted terms and conditions, completing of only nominal but critical formalities, adopting of single window system and quick disposal of papers regarding sanctions, approvals, granting of lease of land, tax reforms, simplifying of and cutting down on submission of papers related to business periodically, online approaches etc , no corner in the country can afford to swim against the current hence has to go in for reforms, relaxations and requisite elasticity. In other words, simplifying and shortening the procedures and concentration on encouraging more business, more production and resultant more job opportunities are the dire requirements of the day. It is imperative, therefore, that bold, calculated risk oriented but fast initiatives are taken by the Government especially when the thrust is on ”Atma Nirbhar Bharat” or Self Reliant India.
In this respect , it is heartening to note that the UT Government has realised the importance of according practicability in approach to the system in making an investment friendly series of measures whereby the process of establishing business establishment and entities could feel flexibility and leverage in starting up their ventures. The Administrative Council recently deciding to do away with as many as 15 ‘No Objection Certificates’ (NOCs) , a prerequisite for setting up of industrial enterprises and also introducing single window approach was bound to result in encouraging business and investment in Jammu and Kashmir blessed with a promising potential.
Unless investments on large scale take place in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir , a real turnaround in economic and commercial activities will not take place and the policy of only depending on Government sponsored projects alone was not going to result in stepping into the shoes of large prospective investors on multifarious ways as intensive investments in different fields of commercial activities would get a boost with such relaxed and simplified process of establishing their business. The Udhyog Aadhar Memorandum as per the condition of the Government of India, shall be solely the base for starting a business enterprise in Jammu and Kashmir.
It is again commendable to segregate approach process for those units coming up within Industrial Estates and those outside the Industrial Estates to be looked after by two sets of Single Window Committees with focussed attention. These Committees must do the process of shelving and pruning beforehand as to which papers proposed to be bare minimum only, were required to be obtained for which the process should be simplified. Caution , however, has got to be exercised that mandatory minimum verification did not get diluted in the ”high spirits” of simplification of the process of starting businesses and according sanction for registration thereof. We are sure that the slew of measures, as proposed to be taken, would vastly improve the business and commercial landscape of Jammu and Kashmir provided an element of consistency in the reformed approach was maintained. We are at the bottom levels in Ease of Doing Business index which shall, now henceforth, considerably improve by taking several, even if small but strong, frog leaps and jumps of reforms.
The Administrative Council has not lost sight of the need of going in for reforms in administrative machinery and introduction of innovative functioning in our Panchayati Raj System , bordering at virtual overhaul of the said administrative machinery. A support base to Panchayats has thus been proposed by rationalizing various categories of existing posts in the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department. With the Panchayat elections which took place in 2018, gone are the days when Panchayats were virtually starving for funds as they now have sufficient funds which require to be utilized in better way and decentralization of planning and execution functions must be ensured for which every district will be having an Assistant Commissioner Panchayats who, in a professional way, would look after the functioning of Panchayats and see the activities were well coordinated. Various sweeping changes in uniform structure of the officials , relocating different duties, who would report to which higher authority, fate of redundant posts and their reutilization for different functions have all been dealt with in the overhaul mechanism of the administrative machinery of Panchayats which we can adjudge as innovative and reformative.
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