TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
That is good news, but
when it will be released is still a grey area. As start-ups in the State await
the release of the new policy, it may be worth looking at how the Start-up
Policy 2017 benefitted entrepreneurs in the State. According to the director
during the time the 2017 policy has been in force, 57 new start-ups have been
certified under it, bringing the number to 110 certified startups. Besides,
from April 2019, approximately Rs 1.27 crore financial incentives have been
approved for certified Goa Startups and Rs 90 lakh has been disbursed since
April 2019.
The follow-up question would be, was this what Goa expected
from the Start-up Policy? Or have the expectations fallen short? For that
matter, what about the IT policy and how has this benefitted the industry?
According to Anand, 12 companies have successfully registered under the Goa IT
policy 2018, three incentive applications have been processed and are awaiting
approval from the empowered committee for disbursement of incentives and 19
applications are under scrutiny.
From the above, it is clear that Goa has been slow to jump
onto the IT bus that has by now sped ahead to other States. The then IT
Minister Rohan Khaunte, in 2017, had vowed to make Goa one of the country’s
most favoured and top IT destinations, and given himself a deadline of five
years to achieve this. With this aim in mind, is 57 new start-ups a good enough
achievement? No doubt that last year the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down all
processes, but even then, in almost four years 57 startups is hardly a figure
to be proud of if Goa wants to leap ahead in the IT race.
Goa aims to be an IT hub. This was one of the statements of
the government earlier. This industry is possibly the best option for a State
that is struggling to find large tracts of land for industrial use. The IT
industry uses the least amount of land and hence suitable for the State. We
have seen that not much has been done to attract the IT industry to Goa. It is
perfectly simple to understand that IT grows where the environment for its
growth is created. That environment has been missing in Goa. There are policies
formulated, but implementation suffers, delaying the process. There is a chance
now to remedy that.
The new Start-up Policy 2021 will incorporate the new DPIIT
definition, polish the rough edges that were exposed in the current policy,
learn from best practices from other States, and from feedback from Start-up
India. The policy has to be an improvement on the earlier one, for otherwise
what purpose would it serve to have a new policy? More importantly, it has to
ensure that local employment needs are boosted so that Goan youth get
preference over others. The policy would have little value if employment goes
to persons from outside the State at the cost the local youth. Incentives from
the government have to be availed by the locals.
Where IT is concerned, connectivity is the main issue and
here Goa fails. The year-long online classes due to the pandemic exposed the
connectivity issues in Goa. The State may claim that it has taken steps in this
direction, but not much has changed over the months, and Goa continues to face
connectivity issues. Unless this is sorted out and improved, no IT companies
will want to set up in the State. The seriousness in pursuing the IT industry
has been lacking. Mere policies won’t do the trick. It is the minister who has
to chase after IT.
