Modi government's ambitious NSWS initiative may soon use PAN cards to cut red-tapism

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has said that Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards are likely to be used as a unique identifier for API integration of data between ministries and states for ensuring single business user ID under the National Single Window System (NSWS). Goyal said that NSWS would help realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of transforming red tape into a red carpet. The minister said that NSWS also helps in reducing data duplication and filling the same data in various forms using the auto-population Module.

NSWS is an ambitious initiative which promises to be the game-changer for increasing investments and reducing the compliance burden in the country. The system would lead to convergence of all Ministries/ Department and States/ UTs through the “whole of Government approach”. Addressing a press conference after a review meeting on National Single Window System in New Delhi, Goyal said that several new ideas emerged from various stakeholders, especially on the integration of data collection through a single time entry of critical information.

Goyal lauded the remarkable progress achieved by NSWS to date and said that a large number of stakeholders had availed benefits of NSWS right at the beta testing phase which is ongoing. 

He pointed out that NSWS had received nearly 76000 applications/requests and about 48000 approvals had been granted through NSWS. The minister noted that technical glitches in NSWS were as low as 514, meaning that the portal showed over 99 per cent efficiency. 

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Goyal added that 27 Central Departments and 19 states have been onboarded on NSWS. Schemes fully onboarded on NSWS include the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, Ethanol Policy, Leather Development Program, hallmarking of jewellery, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) certification. 

The Minister said that National Land Bank has also been integrated into NSWS. He added that 1 lakh hectares of land in different industrial parks and estates are available on NSWS. The portal will become a one-stop shop for buying industrial land, he said. 

Encouraging more and more states to make use of NSWS, the minister said that states which use NSWS would be given a better ranking on the Ease of Doing Business Index. 

The Minister said that renewal of licences would also be brought under NSWS starting with 5 Ministries like Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles. 

The key objectives of the review meeting today were to ensure onboarding of investor-related clearances by Ministries/ Departments of Govt of India and by the State Govts and UTs, in order to meet timelines, to complete ownership by all the Stakeholders for smooth functioning of the NSWS, to increase usage of the NSWS by the industry and use industry feedback to improve systems related to EoDB/ ease of investor clearances; and to discuss the way ahead on a convergence approach to the NSWS.

Various ministries, states and Union Territories have worked in close coordination with DPIIT and NSWS Team to bring this portal up and running. Industry Associations have given valuable feedback from time to time that helped improve and optimize the system.