Spider’s web
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Yep! It is easy to start a business in India these days, but only till one actually sets out to start one. Once you actually step out, you find that the government’s policies and procedures are specially designed to discourage you. The hassles one encounters — filling forms, submitted attested documents, proofs, verification papers — often make one feel like Spiderman going up a wall without the squidgy stuff.
Let’s say you want to start a retail store. First you need a licence from the state government. Once you have that and have smashed a coconut, you will be served a notice to apply for a separate licence for weights and measures. Once you have that, you will be served another notice inquiring about your “health licence”, and soon the storage licence… There are around 18 permissions you have to ultimately get from four different authorities, and all have expiry dates and need to be renewed regularly.
To set up a small manufacturing unit with all permissions in place takes anywhere between four to six months, and longer if you want to do things without greasing palms. Gujarat is one state where things are better, faster.
It is not that our government is uncaring. Because there were complaints and because they care, they came up with the brilliant “one window”. If only!
Yes, on papers “single windows” exist, but in reality this single window doubles up as many, many windows. Some say that things are no different from what they were during the licence-permit raj. Perhaps, the only difference between doing business then and now is that the master key to entry then was “money”, while today you also need Niira Radia in tow.
Amit Sarda is the president of Young Entrepreneurs
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