Srikakulam secures top slot in single-window approvals

SRIKAKULAM: Srikakulam topped the State in granting approvals under the single window system. Out of the 2,549 proposals that were received in the past four years, as many as 2,458 had been approved, so far, through the single window system of the District Industries Centre (DIC). About 96.42 per cent - highest among all districts of the State - of the proposals were approved in the last four years. 

Moreover, about 1,626 small-scale industries have been established in the district at an investment of `700 crore, creating employment for 20,000 people in the district. Since Srikakulam is vulnerable to migrations, mass beginning of industries helps people to get jobs. As 80 per cent of the people in the district depend on agriculture and its allied sectors, district industrial committee, led by district collector K Dhananjaya Reddy, gives priority to agriculture-based industries in the district. 

DIC general manager Gopala Krishna said that they had received 282 proposals through the single window system between June 2, 2014 and March 31, 2015 and 260 of those were approved. Similarly out of the 550 proposals that were received between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2016, 525 were approved. 

Out of the 629 proposals that were received between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 about 629 were approved. Out of the 556 proposals received between 2017 (after March 31) and 2018, 542 were approved. Similarly, as many as 526 proposals were approved out of the 532 proposals that were received between April 1, 2018 and January 20, 2019, Gopala Krishna said.

Speaking about the MSME, he said that while 63 industries were established at an investment of `2,350.90 lakh between 2014 and 2015, 362 industries were established at an investment of `4,932.39 lakh between 2015 and 2016. Similarly, 521 industries were established between 2016 and 2017 at an investment of `22,124 lakh, 426 industries were set up at an investment of `19,008 lakh between 2017 and 2018 and 244 were set up at an investment of `11,589 lakh between March 2018 and December 2018. 

Under strict monitoring by Dhananjaya Reddy, “we could grant approvals within 15 days for each proposal,” he said. Gopala Krishna also said that earlier an applicant had to wait for not less than six months to obtain approvals.