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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Incentives, portal: How Punjab aims to ease business, draw investments
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday unveiled 12 initiatives to help ease of doing business terming these as Punjab Udyog Kranti. They also launched the 'FastTrack Punjab Portal', set up for the purpose. A look at how it will help the people. The initiatives The Punjab Udyog Kranti initiative introduced 12 reforms aimed at improving ease of doing business and unlocking industrial potential. The government has significantly reduced compliance burdens by implementing a deemed approval system. The portal serves as a single-window clearance system, eliminating bureaucratic delays, while the expanded Right to Business Act allows automatic approvals for projects under Rs 200 crore. Additionally, self-certification for building plans and fire safety norms streamlines regulatory processes, making Punjab one of India's most business-friendly states. The initiative also focuses on unlocking land value by introducing a digital Land Feasibility Certificate, expanding land-use categories, and enabling leasehold-to-freehold conversions for industrial plots. To foster growth, Punjab is opening 260 new industrial plots, and investing Rs 300 crore in infrastructure upgrades. By simplifying regulations, modernising approvals, and supporting industries financially, Punjab is positioning itself as a national leader in investment and economic development. Deemed Approval System The Deemed Approval System ensures that all necessary approvals and clearances for setting up or expanding a business are granted within 45 working days. Previously, clearances could take 60 to 120 days, causing uncertainty. Now, applications are reviewed online within 7 days, and if no decision is made within the deadline, approval is automatically generated through the portal. This system will enhance accountability. Fast-track portal Unlike earlier systems where investors had to navigate multiple departments, fast-track Punjab is a single-window portal for regulatory approvals. It provides end-to-end clearances across different sectors with a digitally tracked workflow, auto-escalations, and real-time updates. Right to Business Act The Right to Business Act has been expanded, allowing projects with up to Rs 125 crore in plant and machinery investment (Rs 200 crore including land and buildings) to receive in-principle approvals. If located in an industrial park, approvals are granted within 3 days; if outside, they take 15 days. These remain valid for 3.5 years, benefiting around 95 per cent of new projects, including hospitals, hotels, IT units, and educational institutions. Building plan approvals, fire safety norms The government has introduced self-certification for both building plan approvals and structural stability certificates, eliminating the need to rely on a limited number of government-approved experts. Fire safety norms have also been simplified, allowing architect-prepared fire safety drawings to be accepted. The validity of fire NOCs has been extended from one year to up to five years, reducing compliance costs for businesses. Land Feasibility Certificate The digitally delivered Land Feasibility Certificate, will be issued within 15 working days by revenue officials. This certificate verifies land ownership, zoning, and siting, helping investors navigate subsequent approvals for construction and environmental permits with clarity. The permitted land-use categories have been expanded for industrial plots from 2 to 10, allowing conversion for IT, offices, educational institutes, commercial purposes, and industrial parks. Addition ally, landowners can apply for conversion after 5 years of allotment, increasing flexibility and land value for industrial estates.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Kejriwal, Mann launch ‘FastTrack' portal to spur industrial growth
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched the 'FastTrack Punjab Portal' aimed at ensuring that an investor gets all the required approvals within 45 days of applying to start new businesses, setting up projects and expanding industries in the state. Addressing a gathering during the launch of the portal here, Mann and Kejriwal rolled out 12 initiatives under Punjab Udyog Kranti, branding them as the 'biggest industrial reforms in 75 years.' Mann emphasised that the initiative aims to boost both revenue and employment opportunities. 'We want industrialists to grow and employment to increase. When your revenue rises, you'll set up more industries, creating more jobs. We will fill the treasury and provide jobs,' he stated. Kejriwal said all approvals for an industrial project will be given within 45 days. 'If one does not get approvals within 45 days, then an investor will get deemed approval for his project automatically,' the former Delhi chief minister said. 'If you want to set up a new project, start a new business, expand your business or diversify business and you apply on the 'Invest Punjab Portal', you will get time-bound approvals,' Kejriwal said calling it the 'end of corruption and nepotism. Kejriwal hailed the deemed approval system as a game changer and said: 'Investors will no longer run from pillar to post. Everyone will be on their toes now. The software will ensure action is taken against the one who held up the file.' Kejriwal outlined how accountability is being hardwired into the system. 'Once initial objections are cleared approvals must be given within the stipulated time. If delays occur, the matter will be escalated to the chief secretary level. An internal probe will be then launched to identify the officer responsible for the delay,' he said. Mann shared that the system enables entrepreneurs to pay for all statutory clearances (change of land use (CLU), forest, pollution, fire, etc.) via a single stamp paper. 'Clearances are granted within 15 days through the Invest Punjab Portal,' Mann said. Kejriwal also announced a self-certification system for building plans, structural safety, and fire NOCs—eliminating bottlenecks. 'For the first time, investors can focus on business,' he said. Mann said that the scope of the Right to Business Act has been expanded to cover investments up to ₹125 crore, with in-principle approvals given within 3 to 15 days, depending on location. Kejriwal announced that ₹250 crore in incentives will be disbursed this quarter— five times what the previous Congress government managed in five years. Kejriwal further informed that the state government will invest ₹300 crore in upgrading infrastructure across industrial focal points by November 2025. 'Those who left Punjab due to corruption and harassment must return. We are building a new Punjab—transparent, competitive, and corruption-free,' Kejriwal said. Linking industrialisation to social reform, Mann said, 'We want to hand tiffins to our youth, not syringes. The job creation is a solution to Punjab's drug problem.' BOX Strategic initiatives Unified digital gateway for industry Single entry and exit for all clearances Timeline for approvals capped at 45 days Post 45 days, portal to auto-generate legally valid deemed approval Projects up to ₹125-cr to get approval in 3 days Online self-certification Fire NOC now valid for 1, 3 and 5 years based on risk classification Fire drawings made by empanelled architects to be accepted Height limit of industry buildings increased to 21m 53-point checklist eliminated
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After two years, Punjab's green stamp paper initiative remains mostly ‘on paper' in Ludhiana
Ludhiana: A Punjab govt initiative once touted as a fast-track route for industrial project approvals is struggling to take root, with fewer than a dozen registrations made via the "green stamp paper" scheme in this city nearly two years after its launch. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann introduced the green colour-coded stamp paper system in 2022, claiming it would cut red tape significantly for industrialists by guaranteeing all necessary clearances within two weeks. The stamp paper was meant to serve as a one-stop approval document, bundling permissions from departments including town planning (CLU), forest, fire, and pollution control authorities. However, officials now admit the scheme has seen limited success on the ground. According to sources in the district administration, only a handful of green stamp paper registries have been completed in Ludhiana since its inception. One major reason, they say, is that a large portion of the city's industrial sector falls under the 'hazardous industry' category — an area not eligible for the green stamp paper process. The initiative was originally designed to offer industrialists land feasibility assessments before registration. Applicants were to apply via the Invest Punjab portal or in person, with the CLU team delivering clearances within ten days. Upon clearance, they would be issued a green stamp paper incorporating all required departmental approvals. But industry leaders say the system is bogged down by duplication. "Even after using green stamp paper, industrialists often have to reapply for approvals and pay the same fees again," said Ashpreet Singh, former chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ludhiana chapter. "This defeats the purpose of a streamlined clearance process." He added that the business community had recommended integrating the green stamp paper model with Punjab's Right to Business Act, introduced in 2021. That act allows provisional clearance from four departments, giving industries up to 3.5 years to secure full approvals post setup. A senior govt official confirmed the integration proposal is under consideration. "We are actively reviewing this suggestion, and a formal proposal has been submitted to the relevant department," the official said. While the green stamp paper scheme aimed to be a game-changer in simplifying industrial development, its future may now depend on whether it can be restructured to overcome bureaucratic hurdles — and gain the trust of the business community it was designed to help.
