Govt working to relax norms to boost ease of business in Chandigarh
The first meeting on compliance reduction and de-regulation exercise initiated by Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, was held in Chandigarh on Tuesday with an aim to streamline business regulations, enhance ease of doing business, and improve urban planning frameworks in the city.
To create a business-friendly environment in the city, the central government has planned to relax zoning norms, simplify land use change procedures and digitise regulatory approvals.
The first meeting on compliance reduction and de-regulation exercise initiated by Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, was held in Chandigarh on Tuesday with an aim to streamline business regulations, enhance ease of doing business, and improve urban planning frameworks in the city.
The meeting was co-chaired by SCL Das, secretary, Union ministry of MSME, and Rajiv Verma, chief secretary, Chandigarh.
Das, who has been given the responsibility for driving the de-regulation exercise for Chandigarh with the Cabinet Secretariat, gave a brief presentation and shared that the de-regulation and reducing compliance burden exercise was focused on simplifying and reducing the key regulatory reforms in land use, building regulations, labour laws, utilities and permissions.
The discussions during the meeting emphasised relaxing zoning norms, simplifying land use change procedures, and digitising regulatory approvals to create a business-friendly environment while maintaining the city’s planned development ethos.
Key points discussed during the meeting were land use and zoning which include introduction of flexible zoning norms and Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to accommodate mixed-use development within the current applicable.
Other measures proposed included easing setbacks and Floor Area Ratio (FAR) restrictions for construction of buildings, along with integration of third-party inspections within the current applicable frameworks.
Under labour laws reforms, it was proposed to allow night-time employment for women, increase working hours, and simplify industrial layoff regulations.
Under utilities and permissions, stress was laid on faster approvals for industrial licences, fire NOCs, and environmental clearances through an integrated single-window system and under digital governance head, integration of the Chandigarh’s GIS-based Master Plan with the PM Gati Shakti portal was proposed for efficient land use planning.
The Chandigarh administration reaffirmed its commitment to implementing best practices from leading Indian states and international models to enhance economic growth while preserving the city’s unique urban character.
The Compliance Reduction and De-Regulation Task Force will continue to monitor implementation progress and propose further simplifications to create a more conducive business ecosystem in the Union territory.
The meeting was convened by Nishant Kumar Yadav, secretary industries-cum-deputy commissioner, Chandigarh.
During the meeting, Das was accompanied by Anuja Bapat, deputy director general, and Nayantara Sasikumar, director, ministry of MSME; Prerna Joshi, director, DPIIT; Anshuman Kamila, deputy director, Cabinet Secretariat; and Darpajit Sengupta from NITI Aayog.
Along with Rajiv Verma, UT finance secretary Diprava Lakra, home secretary Mandeep Singh Brar, education secretary Prerna Puri, MC commissioner Amit Kumar, IT secretary Hari Kallikkat and other officers of Chandigarh were present.
