THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala will fare better in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ once it implements the online clearance mechanism, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Responding to the state’s ranking for the year 2017-18, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation managing director M Beena said the clearance mechanism, Kerala single-window interface for digital application fast disposal and transparency (KSWIFT), would be implemented on September 1.
Kerala has slipped one slot down to the 21st position in the 2017-18 ranking of states based on the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The ranking was based on 372 questions.
The state, however, improved its score to 44.79%. “The near 18% increase in implementation score can be attributed to the various business reforms being implemented by the state government,” Beena said.
During the year 2016-’17, BRAP comprised 340 questions and Kerala ranked 20 with an implementation score of 26.92%.
Beena said several features of K-SWIFT are the parameters evaluated as a part of BRAP, and it will play a major role in improving the state’s ranking.
Kerala has also initiated various measures for improving the business environment. The government has also been keen on strengthening the foundation for doing business.
Beena said the state was a slow beginner in bringing about reforms, it is now in the right track.
