Ease of Doing Business: Sindh government making strides in creating positive environment

It is good news for the business community that Sindh Government has taken various steps for starting and running businesses in the province. For this purpose, the Government of Sindh is enhancing Ease of Doing Business Programme in coordination and consultation with the World Bank. In this connection Sindh Government has launched its Business Regulations Directory on a website (sindhinvestment.gov.pk), through which anyone can get complete information regarding rules, regulations and methods required for obtaining permits and licenses to start a new business in the province.

This business regulations directory also provides knowledge the procedure of getting required license or permit including details application requirements, fee and relevant law. The website-based business regulations directory is also enriched with all the Performa and information about 80 different types of permits and licenses required to start or run a business in Sindh province.

It is pertinent to mention here that with the technical assistance of World Bank and under the banner of Ease of Doing Business Programme, Sindh business registration Portal (businesssindh.gov.pk ) has already been inaugurated in February this year by our energetic and active Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. In this way Sindh business registration Portal is successfully functioning and serving to the business community of the province for about last nine months. Facilities of online registration with Sindh Labour department, Industries and Commerce department, Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and with Excise and Taxation Department can be obtained through this portal.

Since the inauguration of this business registration Portal, Sindh Labour department has issued registration certificates to 1245 shops and other business establishments. While Industries and Commerce department has registered 915 business partnerships besides SESSI has taken 129 registrations.

It is recalled here that each employer who is working in Sindh province is supposed to deposit an amount of contribution money with SESSI for the welfare of each and every employee working under his ambit. Before launch of business registration Portal it was a normal routine that every employer deposits contribution money manually to SESSI offices but after the launch of this Portal, employer can easily deposit contribution money to SESSI offices through online.

Under Ease of Doing Business Programme the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has started its online single window facility to its clients and now the SBCA is releasing all its permissions through online counter. Sindh Board of Revenue has also minimized its property registration processing time from 6 months to only 17 days. It is a big achievement of automation process.

It is also a big contribution of Ease of Doing Business Programme that by using latest technology of computer science, those works that were delayed up to months are now completed within a few days' time and those works needed weeks to be completed, are now finishes within a few hours. As the automation process in Government functionaries is under way. The Sindh Government took steps to enhance and accelerate its automation policy and for the achievement of this goal the Sindh Government is with the financial support of World Bank is working over an idea of automation Programme titled 'CLICK' (Competitive and Livable City Of Karachi).

Through 'CLICK' the Sindh Government is keen to provide all licenses and permits of business and trade related to various provincial and local government departments are soon to be provided online. To functionalize the idea of 'CLICK' a dedicated team of the officers of Sindh Investment Department is efficiently working under the supervision of Secretary Investment Department Ahsan Ali Mangi. It is expected that the 'CLICK' would come into force in 2020.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019