1. Is there an entity that an investor can approach for handholding through the investment process?

Yes. In case of Large Enterprises, Guidance, under the Industries Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu is the Nodal Agency. In case of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, the Office of the Regional Joint Director of Industries and Commerce in respect of Chennai district, and the District Industries Centre in respect of other districts is the Nodal Agency

2. Is Guidance a private entity or government entity?

Guidance is a Government agency under the Industries Department, Government of Tamil Nadu.

3. What kind of support is provided by Guidance to new investors?

• Industry Locational Support
• Investment Facilitation
• Facilitate in Single Window Clearances during pre-establishment, pre-operation, and post-operation stage of business lifecycle
• Sector-Specific Desks such as Automobile, Electronics and Hardware, etc.
• Country Desks such as USA, Korea, Japan, etc.
• Facilitate in grievance redressal

4. Do I need to physically visit the respective government offices to follow-up on my application?

No.

Application submission related - Once an investor has logged in the Tamil Nadu Single Window Portal using their registered user ID and password, they can track the status of the application under the tab "Track application" in the Single Window Portal.

5. What are the various incentives provided by State Government to investors for setting up an enterprise in Tamil Nadu?

The Government of Tamil Nadu offers incentives and subsidies such as Fiscal incentives include Capital Subsidy, Training Subsidy, Electricity duty exemption, Stamp duty exemption, Reimbursement on SGST, Road tax exemptions, etc. The details of sector-wise incentives can be accessed from More details

6. Can Guidance help me in getting approvals from central government departments (DGFT, MSME, Customs and Banks)?

Yes, Guidance supports an investor in investment facilitation for setting up of a business in Tamil Nadu.

1. What is the objective of the Single Window Portal?

The key objective of the Single Window Portal is to provide Government to Business (G2B) services for new and existing enterprises in a digital manner without any physical touch point with government departments.

2. What are the main features of the New Single Window Portal?

• Apart from New Enterprises, Existing Enterprises can apply for expansion related clearances or renewal of existing clearances.
• Additional 150 new G2B services.
• Interactive system to identify approvals required for establishing a new business
• Easy access to information regarding the clearances i.e. procedure, checklist of documents, fee, and time limit for approval/rejection of application.
• Real Time Monitoring of Application Status, and SMS based alerts to the applicant at each stage of application processing to ensure greater transparency

The following features are under development:

• Artificial Intelligence based Voice and Chatbot Facility
• Virtual meeting with Nodal Agency and Departments to clarify queries regarding application/procedure/ document checklist
• Parallel processing of clearances
• Deemed approval for select clearances as per Tamil Nadu Business Facilitation Act and Rules, 2017-18

3. Who can use the Single Window Portal?

Any new or existing investor who wishes to invest in Tamil Nadu can use the Single Window Portal.

4. How can I avail the services on Single Window Portal?

Follow the below steps to avail the services on Single Window Portal:

For New User of Single Window Portal

• Investors need to register on the Single Window portal, by clicking on "Register Here" on the right hand side top corner
• Fill in the required details in the "Investor Registration form" provided. An email address and a mobile number will be required for the same.
• On registration, investor shall receive an E-Mail as well as SMS confirming the registration.
• Once registered, investor needs to create a project in the form of a Combined Application Form (CAF). Thereafter, the investor can apply for services of various departments.

For Existing Investor of Single Window Portal

• Investors need to Login on the Single Window portal, by clicking on "Login" on the right hand side top corner
• Once logged in, investor may apply for individual services of various departments relevant to the industry or apply for renewals. Thereafter, investors will be able to apply / renew for services of respective departments through the Single Window Portal.

5. How can I know the approvals required for my industry?

An online wizard has been created under the heading "Know your Clearances" on the home page to help investors determine approvals required for their enterprise. You need to respond to the questions in the online wizard to know about the approvals required for your business.

1. Am I required to upload any documents while registering on SINGLE WINDOW PORTAL?

No you need not upload any documents while registering on the Single Window Portal

2. Can I change the details I entered on Single Window Portal post successful registration?

Yes, you may change the details by clicking on the Initiate Support Request button on the Home page and by following the next steps, as directed in the page

3. I forgot my Single Window Portal Login Password. How can I recover it?

On the home page, click on the 'forgot password' tab. You will be prompted to answer the security question. On answering the question, kindly follow the next steps, as directed in the page.

4. Do I need to create Login credentials at Single window portal as well as at the respective department portal?

If you are applying for clearances through the Single Window Portal, you need to create the login credentials only one time on the Single Window Portal and are not required to create login credentials in respective department portal.

5. Can I use the login credentials created at the Single Window Portal to log on to the respective department portal?

No. You cannot use the login credentials created for the Single Window Portal on other department portals.

6. I have registered on both a particular department's portal and the Single Window Portal as well. Will this create problems in obtaining clearances?

To avoid duplication of application, it is suggested to apply for the service/ clearance only on any one of the portals.

7. Can I apply for approvals, incentives etc. required in different / multiple units of through a single user ID?

Yes, you can apply using the same registered investor user id and credentials.

8. What is Combined Application Form (CAF) and how can I access it?

In order to avoid filling multiple application forms to avail various clearances and also reduce the significant overlap in terms of data sought for each clearance (application), a Combined Application Form (CAF) has been developed in the Single Window Portal. The CAF streamlines the need for entrepreneurs/ investors to submit the same information to multiple authorities. The Single Window Portal shall automatically populate the information captured in the CAF, as part of the application form for each individual clearance.

9. My business details have changed. How can I modify the CAF previously submitted on Single Window Portal?

CAF details submitted on Single Window Portal cannot be changed. However, applicants may fill a new CAF.

10. Is there a checklist of documents available for every type of clearance / service?

Yes, the checklist of documents can be viewed for every type of clearance / service. On the Single Window Portal home page, click on the Clearance tab and choose List of clearances section. On accessing the List of Clearances section, click on the Procedure button to access the checklist of documents for the respective clearances.

11. In which file format can I submit the required documents and is there a file size limit?

You can submit the documents only in the following formats which include .JPG, .JPEG, .BMP, .GIF, .PNG, .TIF, .PPM, .DOC, .DOCX, .PDF, .RTF, .XLS, .XLSX, .PPT, .PPTX and .PPSX

12. Do I need to pay any fee for registering with Single Window Portal?

There is no fee for registration on the single window portal.

13. Do I need to pay any fee to the Nodal Agency for the services provided through Single Window Portal?

If your enterprise comes under the MSME category, there is no fee levied for the single window services. However, if your enterprise comes under Large Enterprise category, Guidance levies fee for the single window services.

14. How can I make payments on Single Window Portal? What are the available modes of payment?

Upon completion of the required details in the application form, the user will be redirected to the payment gateway where multiple online payment modes are available including Net Banking, Debit/Credit Card Payment.

15. I am a renewable energy company, wishing to set up a wind farm across scattered locations, spanning 2-3 districts. Do I need to pay multiple Single Window Portal fees?

Yes. The Single Window Portal fees is calculated based on Investment (including Eligible Fixed Assets) value of each project and location of the project. For further information, please contact the Guidance helpdesk.

16. On successful processing of my application, will I receive any notification/alert confirming the same?

Yes, on successful submission of the application for each clearance, the applicant will receive notifications via SMS and email on their registered mobile number and email address respectively.

17. Are there any timelines defined for obtaining clearances from respective departments?

Yes, the timelines have been defined for each clearance. On the Single Window Portal home page, click on the Clearance tab and choose List of clearances section. On accessing the List of Clearances section, the timelines are published under the tab "Processing days"

18. How can I track my application?

The applicant can track the status of each application by clicking on the available options in the 'Track Applications' tab on the Single Window Portal home page.

19. Do I need to submit the hard copies of supporting documentation to Guidance or respective departments?

No. The applicant is not required to submit hard copies of documents to Guidance or to the concerned authorities. However, the applicant shall be required to produce the original hard copies of the document for verification during inspection/ site visit (if required under respective department's legislation).

20. What is a deemed approval? Is it applicable to all clearances?

As per the TN Business Facilitation Act 2018, "Deemed Approval" means a clearance deemed to have been given by the Competent Authority on the expiry of time limit for providing such clearance in the absence of sufficient and reasonable cause for not clearing the application within the time limit. The deemed approval shall be issued by the Nodal Agency through the single window portal after obtaining concurrence of the Respective Committee under this Act.

There is provision for issue of Deemed Approval by the Nodal Agency for following 7 Pre-establishment clearances:

• i. Planning Permission
• ii. Building Permit
• iii. Factory Plan Approval
• iv. Fire Safety NOC
• v. Statutory Approval from Tamil Nadu Electrical Inspectorate
• vi. Registration of Establishments for employing Building and Other Construction Workers.
• vii. Permission for development of land located in non-planned areas, and prior report from Agriculture Department in case of Dry Land, or Concurrence from District Collector in case of Wet Land.

21. Is there a provision to download the license / NoC / certificate copy on Single Window Portal?

Yes, on successful processing of the application/ clearance by the concerned authority, the applicant can download the license/ NOC/ certificate from the Single Window Portal. The applicant can view and download the document from the applicant dashboard section, by clicking on the approved options in the 'Track Applications' tab on the Single Window Portal home page.

1. I have a general query or a query regarding single window system. Where can I raise it?

Applicants can submit general queries and single window related technical queries/ issues, after registration on single window portal. Post registration, in the applicant dashboard, an Initiate support request button is available. On clicking the same, applicant can raise a query, describe the issue faced, attach relevant document and submit. The query shall be routed to concerned authority for clarifications.

2. How can I report a grievance?

Grievances related to clearances can be raised on the Biz buddy portal. (More details)

3. How can I track the status of my reported grievance?

Grievances may be tracked on the Biz Buddy portal.

4. In case of no response from department or a delay in the application processing, whom should I contact?

In case of delay in the application processing or non-responsiveness of department, Large Enterprises can contact the Guidance Helpdesk, and MSMEs can contact the concerned District Industries Centre.