80 % Concession in Licensing Fees for Women Announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal

Union Minister Piyush Goyal announced  80% concession in licesning fees for women entrepreneurs and 50% reduction for MSMEs in fees for licences granted by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

In a press release, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that these incentives will encourage in more participation and entrepreneurship by women and MSMEs. The Ministry also emphasized on the balance between industry compliance and public safety during a Stakeholder Consultation held in New Delhi.

Piyush Goyal announced the decision, saying that PESO has been instructed to develop guidelines in consultation with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the purpose of creating safety measures that will allow the retail petrol pump outlets to operate in situations where there is habitation within 30 to 50 meters.

He also talked about the importance of implementing worldwide best practices in order to speed up regulatory procedures. Efforts are being made to improve efficiency and openness by involving Third-Party Inspection Agencies (TPIAs) into additional regulatory processes and creating online authorization modules to replace offline procedures.

Piyush Goyal recommended the implementation of the best international methods for the regulation of petroleum and explosives during the discussions, emphasizing the streamlining of PESO approvals and processes. PESO staff were instructed to carefully follow the application clearance deadlines. It was also decided to publish FAQs for various licenses and permissions. The Minister ordered that the online Licensing System for District Authority (LSDA) be used to issue NOCs from District Authorities.

The Minister ordered MoPNG and the relevant industry groups to establish committees to bring out the specifics of the recommendations they made in response to the concerns brought up by the industry during the consultation. It was the responsibility of these groups to research and suggest standards and best practices. In order to speed up and simplify procedures, he recommended that these industry committees examine and offer changes to regulatory guidelines and frameworks.

He also asked the DPIIT to form a committee consisting of industry representatives, PESO officers, DPIIT officers, CPCB, MoPNG, and Oil companies to work in a time-bound manner on suggested reforms.