The Goa State Incentives to Encourage Investments Scheme

The Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC), Government of Goa, administers the Goa State Incentives to Encourage Investments Scheme. The scheme pursues several objectives at once: creating sustainable employment for Goan residents, supporting industrial development that is environmentally conscious, and drawing greater investment into the state. It also seeks to sharpen the competitiveness of Goa's existing industries and to make sure beneficiaries obtain the benefits available under the various Investment Policy schemes without delay.

Financial assistance under the scheme is available to units that are newly set up as well as to those undertaking substantial expansion, so that different stages of business growth and investment are addressed. By covering these varied categories of units — whether they have recently begun production or have expanded considerably — the scheme accommodates a range of business situations within the manufacturing sector.

The scheme matters for economic diversification and sustainability in Goa's industrial landscape, giving both new and established enterprises the impetus to grow and add to the state's prosperity.

**Step 1: Registration under the Umbrella Scheme:** The applicant must begin by registering under the wider Umbrella Scheme through the common application form (Schedule 'E'), which is attached to the scheme guidelines. This form calls for detailed information about the unit, including registration particulars such as the Permanent Registration Certificate, Entrepreneurs Memorandum–II, or Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum number and date. It also seeks details of the Cumulative Capital Investment and personal information of the proprietor or promoter, including their Aadhaar Number and whether they are claiming benefits under the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, or Woman category.

**Step 2: Filing application for Target Schemes:** After registering under the Umbrella Scheme, the applicant must submit a detailed application to the Director, Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (DITC). This application has to be made in the prescribed proforma for the specific Target Scheme being applied for. The application must be filed strictly within the timelines laid down in Schedule A for each target scheme. The Task Force Committee will accept and process applications for each target scheme only during the particular period specified in Schedule A.

**Step 3: Scrutiny and recommendation by the Task Force Committee:** After submission, the application is reviewed and scrutinised in detail by the designated Task Force Committee (TFC). This committee is constituted specifically under the Umbrella Scheme and comprises key officials, including the Chief Executive Officer of the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (as Chairman) and the General Manager (DIC) of the Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce (as Member Secretary). The TFC evaluates the eligibility and merits of every application and then recommends the benefits to be granted under the target schemes.

**Step 4: Financial sanction by competent authority:** Once the TFC has made its recommendation, a competent financial authority takes the final decision to sanction or reject the benefits. This decision is usually taken within one month of receipt of the TFC's recommendation. The authority empowered to sanction depends on the amount: financial sanctions up to ₹10,00,000/- per disbursement are accorded by the Director of Industries, Trade and Commerce; amounts between ₹10,00,000/- and ₹20,00,000/- per disbursement require approval from the Secretary, Department of Industries; and benefits exceeding ₹20,00,000/- per disbursement per scheme must be approved by the Government.

**Step 5: Fund disbursement to beneficiary:** Once approved, payment is released directly to the beneficiary. Funds are disbursed from a Savings Bank Account held by the Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce at a Nationalized or Commercial Bank, subject to the availability of funds. Payment is usually released within fifteen days of the beneficiary receiving the sanction order from the competent financial authority, provided all necessary documentation and an affidavit-cum-self-declaration in the format specified by the respective target scheme are submitted.

Applications submitted under The Goa State Incentives to Encourage Investments Scheme, after registration under the Umbrella Scheme, undergo review by the Task Force Committee (TFC). Chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board, with the General Manager (DIC) of the Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce serving as Member Secretary, the TFC examines each application for eligibility and merit and recommends the benefits to be extended under the relevant target schemes.

Once the TFC has made its recommendation, the application proceeds to financial sanction, where the competent financial authority grants or rejects the benefits. The authority concerned depends on the sanction amount: up to ₹10,00,000 is handled by the Director of Industries, Trade and Commerce; up to ₹20,00,000 by the Secretary, Department of Industries; and anything above ₹20,00,000 requires approval by the State Government. Sanction is intended to be completed within one month of the TFC's recommendation.