CHENNAI: Businesses applying for government approvals could get faster clearance under the proposed Single Window 3.0 since departments are allowed to raise only one set of queries on an application instead of repeatedly seeking clarifications and restarting the approval process every time the applicant responds.
The Tamil Nadu Single Window Portal 3.0, being developed by Guidance Tamil Nadu, is proposed to be launched by December 2026. The overhaul is an attempt to resolve a key problem with the existing system where businesses still have to navigate separate departmental portals and offline processes for clearances despite the existing Single Window covering over 200 services across 30 departments, according to sources.
Under the proposed system, only one consolidated query can be raised by departments during an application cycle. The approval clock will pause while the applicant responds, but will resume from where it stopped instead of restarting from Day 1.
For applications covered by the 21-day approval framework, inspections can take up to 11 days, after which an alert will automatically be sent to the head of the department. Approvals that do not depend on one another can be processed simultaneously.
The system will also allow applicants, with their consent, to reuse information and documents already available with the government. Integration with databases such as PAN, Aadhaar and GST, as well as Entity Locker, is expected to reduce repeated submission of documents.
Risk-based processing has been proposed with low-risk applications eligible for self-certification, medium-risk applications for third-party certification and high-risk applications for departmental inspection.
TANSTIA president S Vasudevan said industry representatives said the existing system had not fully eliminated the need to approach departments such as TNPCB, Directorate of Town and Country Planning, and Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health separately. He said the new system could reduce the role of middlemen by allowing investors to complete the approval process online without visiting TN. “The aim is to move from ease of doing business to pleasure of doing business,” he said.
As per TANSTIA, amendments to the rules for the system are likely by October 15.
