Team Herald
PANJIM: On Monday it was the turn of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) to pull up the government for not supporting industry in the State.
A release signed by GCCI president Manoj Caculo said that far from attracting new investments to the State, the government appears to be bent on making the going tough for existing industries.
“Infrastructure in most industrial estates is crumbling, red tape has increased, costs – both actual and hidden – are constantly going up, making it difficult for industry to survive,” Caculo said.
“The COVID pandemic has heaped lot of misery and financial stress on all sectors of the economy. Even in these trying times, instead of providing relief and assistance to the industry, it is being burdened with additional costs,” he added.
The chamber president also pointed out that the government appears to be insensitive to the industry needs, and promises are being broken. “Even genuine demands of industry are not met leaving it with a feeling of being totally neglected. This has actually resulted in no new investments in the State. On the contrary many units have either closed or are on the verge of closure. This is a very worrisome trend,” Caculo said.
It added that it is time the government introspect and get its act together and suggested granular thinking within the required quarters of the State administration as well as industry bodies. “Instead of appointing costly consultants, it should form a task force involving all the industry associations to prepare a roadmap and ensure that it is followed both in letter and spirit. Unless this happens, Goa’s dream if at all to scale up the EODB ranking will only remain a pipe dream,” Caculo said.
In the latest Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) rankings Goa slipped to 24th place from 19th. The EoDB rankings are no longer decided on the basis of theoretical enactment of the Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) but on industry feedback on effective implementation of BRAPs and whether these have helped in streamlining regulatory structures and creating an investor-friendly business climate by cutting down red tape.
“While Goa might have ticked a few more boxes (166 out of 187) than the previous years, they have sadly failed in making the life of the entrepreneur easier. That in our opinion is at the root of the current sluggish performance on EODB,” Caculo said.
