Govt mulls single-window clearance for space sector

New Delhi: The government is considering introducing a single-window clearance system for the space sector to improve ease of doing business and reduce timelines in getting approvals from different ministries.

The National Single Window System (NSWS) already facilitates various government approvals for businesses, and it is being explored whether the same can be expanded for approvals in the space sector, officials told ET.

A single-window interface has already been discussed and in-principally agreed upon by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) where the applicants are common to all these departments, they said.

"The framework for implementing inter-departmental single window interface for space-based systems has been discussed but not all ministries are on board yet," an official said on condition of anonymity.

To grant approvals for space-based businesses, including foreign players, various departments and ministries have to work in tandem. Apart from DoT, MIB and IN-SPACe, the Department of Space, ministries of home and external affairs as well as law enforcement agencies are consulted for different things.

For satellite communication services like the ones to be offered by Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite, an inter-ministerial approval is needed from the security point of view.

"Getting approvals from different ministries and departments takes a lot of time and sometimes it becomes repetitive," a second official said. With a single-window platform, tracking the application becomes much easier.

To start with, approvals for IN-SPACe can be applied and tracked through the single window system and soon other ministries can be integrated with the platform, the person said.

The government had earlier sought comments from the space industry around ways and suggestions for improving ease of doing business. The industry had highlighted the cumbersome regulatory process and longer time periods for getting approvals. Establishing a single-window platform was a key demand of the industry.