Uttarakhand having figured in the list of top 10 states regarding the ease of doing business during the previous regime, the new Government with Trivendra Singh Rawat at its helm is taking upon itself the responsibility to push the State further in the performance ladder or at least to maintain the status quo, something that is difficult as opined by some observers.
“In case the State Government slips a bit it would provide the Opposition the ammunition to tear it asunder,” says a senior official who played an important role in the state achieving the coveted feat. Alive to the gravity of things, the chief secretary S Ramaswami convened a meeting with the officials in the Secretariat and exhorted them to do their utmost to help the state go up further in the matter of ease of doing business. They have been told to start reform process as per the standard set up by the department of industries and promotion policy (DIPP).
Notably, DIPP had conducted along with World Bank survey on the industrial development. To improve the industrial development index, the department had achieved certain benchmarks, something that helped Uttarakhand figure ninth in the list of the top ten states while scoring an astounding 96.13 percent. “Now, it is for the state government to at least maintain the glory,” says an observer.
During the meeting, CS said that the reform programmes on five categories must be uploaded by August 31. “A category is one we have implemented, B category is one set to be achieved by June 16, C category is set to be implemented by August 31 while D category is not appropriate for the state. And E category is one under which work has begun or will be started shortly,” he said.
The officials were apprised in course of the meeting about the changes that have occurred since last year. It was stressed that the central inspection system would be upgraded through software solutions while the feedback approach must be strengthened. Besides, the investor service centre must be made more active at SIIDCUl, in the department concerned as well as at the state level. The working systems of different departments would go online with its software being integrated with the software of the Central departments. This aside, several records would be digitised.
The meeting was attended among others by principal secretary MSME Manisha Panwar, secretary revenue Harbans Singh Chugh and MD SIIDCUl R Rajesh Kumar.