Glitches persist in registration process for IT startups

PANAJI: Just days after the director of information and technology Ameya Abhyankar said that very few companies were registering with the government, startups across the state voiced concerns that they were unable to register themselves due to glitches in the registration process.
The Goa government website for registration was launched by chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, but, bugs in the system continue to hamper registration.
Abhyankar recently mentioned that just 10 companies had successfully registered their names with the department of information and technology.
To try and ensure that more startups, information technology-enabled services, and electronic system design and manufacturing units get on board, the state department of information and technology extended the deadline for registration till September 30.
Entrepreneurs argued that the extension, the second one in a row, would be useless if the government did not iron out the chinks in the online registration portal. “I did try a few times and I keep getting an error, but the page never identifies the error,” the founder of an IoT startup said on the condition of anonymity and to avoid a government backlash.
It is crucial for technology startups to register themselves with the government, if they seek to receive benefits of the Information Technology Investment Policy 2015.
The chief minister had launched the portal in the first week of May which, according to the IT policy 2015-20, would allow companies belonging to IT/ITES and ESDM units to register. In the second phase of its implementation, the system will facilitate reimbursements for power, internet, VAT, stamp duty and salaries. The startups that have successfully registered are Browntape Technologies, Crecio It Interactive OPC, First European Infotech, Vipra Primeware Infotech, Open Destination, Inbetween Software Development and Newyug.
“One thing is that when initial registration occurs, there are times when the form bounces back, but once you pass through the login then it is pretty smooth. Last time, I had faced some problems and those appear to have been resolved,” scientific instrumentation manufacturer Tirthprasad Nagvekar of Adec Embedded Technology and Solutions said.
Quite a few entrepreneurs stated that despite registering, their applications still appeared to be pending.