Best of Both Worlds

Vol XIV No 15
Skylark 284 Frare Road Bombey 400 038 Grama Econweekly
Grama Econweekly Editor Krishna Raj Associate Editor Rajani X Desal Assistant Editor M S Prabhakar Editorial Staff K Vijayakumar, A A Dalvl Manager J N Thakkar Advertisement Manager R Venkiteswaran THE most notable thing about the Committee on Industrial Licensing, copies of whose report have been printed and circulated "with compliments from the Convenor and Members" of the Committee, is that it had not been, to begin with, a Committee en Industrial Licensing at all. The Committee was appointed by the Minister of Industry in October last year to (a) review the existing procedures relating to grant of letters of intent/industrial licences, approvals for foreign collaboration, import -of capital goods, registration with DGTD, etc; and (b) suggest ways and means of improving these procedures to eliminate avoidable delays and to make recommendations in this regard The terms of reference of the Committee clearly did not permit it to pronounce upon the desirability or otherwise of, and make recommendations about, the government's policies and objectives in regard to industrial licensing and a whole host of related matters. However, this is precisely what the Committee has done. At no point after the Committee's appointment were its terms of reference formally enlarged, though the convenor of the Committee claims in his letter of transmittal to the Minister of Industry that the Committee had extended the scope of its enquiry "thanks to the encouragement given by you and your senior officials".