In the second phase of the portal’s development, DeitY aims to offer more advanced features like online payment of fees and applicants being able to digitally sign the application form
By EB Bureau
Saturday, June 29, 2013: The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has taken yet another step towards keeping its promise to make India a manufacturing hub. The Union Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal, recently launched the first phase of a portal called ‘e-MSIPS’ (www.msips.in), which is an online platform for submitting applications under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) scheme. The portal has been developed by DeitY, with support from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
What is e-MSIPS
The Electronic MSIPS (e-MSIPS) application system is Web-based and facilitates the online submission of applications, their scrutiny by experts and giving online feedback to the applicants. Registered users can submit their applications via the system, using the forms designed for it. The applicants can also view the department’s responses on the system. In fact, e-MSIPS replaces the existing manual system of submitting M-SIPS applications as hard copies to a nodal officer, which were then processed at DeitY and presented to the appraisal committee for approval of incentives.
“This portal is a ‘in-one-go’ dashboard to view the project applications from initiation to completion. It incorporates features like public-key infrastructure (PKI) to secure the application, an integrated communication model for seamless communication among relevant users, and an automated e-mailing system for various requests, alerts and reminders,” explains a DeitY official. DeitY will soon be advertising in national dailies to promote the portal.
How will it benefit applicants?
e-MSIPS is expected to speed up the clearance of M-SIPS applications and will reduce the total processing time. It will also help users to get project related information easily, at the click of a button.
At the moment, the portal has only a few features, like the guidelines for applicants, a list of verticals under which applications can be submitted, an application template, and some M-SIPS related links like M-SIPS notifications and guidelines. It also has information about the application fee, the nodal officer and the appraisal committee.
Some teething problems
Although the website has a number of teething problems and is currently not very advanced, it is a good start.
“The portal doesn’t allow documents to be uploaded along with the application, as of now. These documents have to be submitted physically at DeitY once the application is processed, which usually takes five days. However, in the second phase, we will find a solution to this issue. In the second phase, the portal will be enhanced with provisions for the online payment of fees and the acceptance of digital signatures of the applicants and other signatories on the application form. These facilities will be provided within three months,” informs the official.
How to apply through e-MSIPS
In order to submit an application under the M-SIPS or EMC scheme, a company needs to get registered on this portal. Once the registration is done, an application form, which will be encrypted in the system, can be generated. This will ensure that no one, apart from the applicant and the concerned authorities, can view the applications, thus protecting intellectual property rights. Once the application is approved by DeitY as complete, the applicant has to submit the required documents at the DeitY office and then the process of evaluating the application begins.
Electronics Bazaar, South Asia’s No.1 Electronics B2B magazine
