Agartala: A single-window portal, developed by the Government of Tripura, namely Single Window Approval by All Government Agencies (SWAAGAT) has been simplifying the processes, accelerating application processing of clearances to set up industries while creating an investor-friendly environment in Tripura.
Prior to August 2020, entrepreneurs and industrialists were required to visit each department individually in order to obtain the necessary licenses for setting up their businesses. Additionally, a physical follow-up was necessary to inquire about the application status. Moreover, there was no standardized mechanism for departments to monitor the number of pending applications they received.
To address these issues, the Industries & Commerce Department, acting as the nodal department, engaged in consultations with all stakeholders and identified the requirements. These requirements were further refined, leading to the development of SWAAGAT, a Single Window web-based portal.
A Single Window Approval portal named SWAAGAT was developed and launched in August 2020 by the government agencies in Tripura. This portal integrates 16 different departments to provide over 60+ services for obtaining statutory clearances for businesses.
Entrepreneurs can now obtain permissions, approvals, and NOCs from all relevant government departments within a 30-day time limit. Additionally, a single window portal called SWAAGAT allows entrepreneurs to submit a single application form for all necessary approvals to establish their businesses.
The outcomes of this portal include:
- Comprehensive list of licenses, registrations, and NOCs required for a specific business, which can be accessed by the applicant (industrialist) through a combined application form
- Central Inspection System that synchronizes multi-department inspections under labor, factory, pollution control, and legal metrology acts
- Digitized combined application and payment system, merging fees applicable under various acts, rules, policies, and schemes
- Integration of the state Single Window Portal (SWAAGAT) with the National Single Window Portal (NSWS)
Key learnings from the implementation of this IT solution include:
- Transition towards a paperless transaction, with 98% digitization achieved
- Minimization of auditing requirements for deposited fees
- Significant reduction in office file movement due to the fully digitized process
- Real-time MIS reports for tracking application movements, issuance of certificates, and inspection schedules
