Panaji: The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday came down heavily on the state government for poor performance vis-à-vis the ease of doing business index, as the state has slipped to the 24th position from the previous 19th position.
The GCCI said, “Far from attracting new investments, the government seems to be bent on making the going tough for the existing industries.”
The trade body pointed out that infrastructure is crumbling in most industrial estates while red tape has increased costs – both actual and hidden – making it difficult for the industry to survive.
“The COVID pandemic has brought about a lot of misery and financial stress on all sectors of the economy. But instead of receiving relief and assistance, the industry is being burdened with additional costs. The government seems to be totally insensitive to the industry needs,” GCCI president Manoj Caculo said.
The Goan industry, according to Caculo, is left with a feeling of being totally neglected as promises have been broken, and that there is only lip service.
“Even genuine demands of the industry have not been met, which has resulted in the dearth of new investments in the state. On the contrary, many units have either closed or are on the verge of closure,” he maintained.
The GCCI has viewed the fall in the EoDB ranking as “very worrisome trend”, and asked the government to introspect and put its act together.
The industry body said that instead of appointing highly-priced consultants the government must involve all industry associations to prepare a roadmap for improving upon the EoDB ranking.
The GCCI is not the first body to criticise the government for dropping in the EoDB index. The Goa State Industries Association also pointed out that losing position in the index is an “alarming sign”.
According to local industry stakeholders, the latest EoDB rankings have not come as a surprise as the ranking is decided on the industry feedback on the effective implementation of the business reform action plan.
“While Goa might have ticked a few more boxes (166 out of 187) than the previous year, the state sadly failed in making the life of the entrepreneur easier,” Caculo reckoned.
On September 5, the department for promotion of industry and internal trade of the Union commerce ministry released states ranking under the EoDB Index for 2019.
Goa dropped five places in the index – from the 19th position to the 24th. On the other hand, a state like Uttar Pradesh improved its position by 12 places and emerged second. Andhra Pradesh topped the EoDB ranking again.
