June 13: The government has initiated the process of developing software for the One-Stop Service Centre two years after its establishment.

The centre was set up on May 15, 2019 with the objective of providing services to the industries such as registration, license renewal, approval of foreign investment, providing incentives, discounts and various other facilities from one single point.

In order to provide the services electronically, the Department of Industry (DoI) has selected a Nepali company to develop a software for the centre.

Jibalal Bhusal, Director General of the Department, informed that DoI has selected a Nepali company to develop the software after completing the tender process. Once the software is developed, investors, industrialists and service seekers will not have to visit the DoI physically for the approval of foreign investment, industry closure and trademark registration.

However, industrialists must visit the department to receive the certificate. The government has announced in the budget programme for the fiscal year 2021/22 that all the services to be provided from the One-Stop Service Centre will be made available electronically.

"We can't ensure services will be provided online from the upcoming fiscal year since it takes a year to develop the software," Bhusal said. 

The department has been providing services to the industrialists and investors through the One-Stop Service Centre in line with the one-door policy since the last two years. An official of the department informed that the DoI was looking for a company to develop software but were unable to find such company before.

The One-Stop Service Center has representation of fourteen institutional bodies and nine units. The Inland Revenue Department, Company Registrar’s Office, Department of Immigration and Nepal Electricity Authority are some of the institutional bodies that will provide integrated service from the one-stop service centre. 

The center has representation of foreign investment and technology transfer unit, industry registration, environment, visa, foreign exchange, land facilitation unit among others. Bhusal said that a separate umbrella act is required to make the functions of the one-stop service center more effective in the long run.

The umbrella act has been proposed to make the work of the One-Stop Service Centre effective," he said, adding, "With the implementation of the Act, DoI can mobilize the manpower and resources required for the institutional bodies."

At present, human resources are working as representative of the concerned body and are accountable to the same body.