No delays, no red tape, Punjab unveils ‘1-click’ portal for business approvals

Eighteen months ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government today rolled out the red carpet for the industry, promising to remove red tape at the click of a button and guaranteeing business approvals within 45 days.

The ambitious reform is intended both to infuse confidence among a skittish industrial elite that has long struggled to regain the glory of the pre-terrorism decades and to generate enthusiasm among small and medium entrepreneurs.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal didn't hesitate to pull out all the stops at the Invest Punjab Summit in Mohali this afternoon, keenly aware that the initiative would ultimately be tested at the hustings by its ability to generate employment for the state's burgeoning young population.

Dubbed the Punjab Udyog Kranti, Kejriwal and Mann promised a second industrial revolution for the state. The FastTrack Punjab portal pledges to grant approvals for all industrial proposals within 45 days and auto-approval, if delayed even by a day. If an industrialist commits to investing Rs 125 crore or more, the road is clear.

The long-overdue industrial reform comes close on the heels of an ambitious land pooling policy launched by AAP, aiming to acquire 24,000 acres across the state to build "urban estates". The first notification, covering the acquisition of 6,300 acres in Mohali, has already been issued, The Tribune reported exclusively on Monday.

Kejriwal, while addressing industry leaders, said the portal would eliminate red-tapism and corruption. Calling it a historic move, he said the government would investigate officials responsible for delays in granting approvals and take action against them. He said all applications would be monitored by the Chief Minister’s Office and Chief Secretary to prevent unnecessary delays.

He exempted industries from official approvals for site and building plans. “We will issue a list of government-empanelled architects and civil engineers, who will be empowered to approve your site/ building plans,” he said.

Calling the portal a true single-window system, Kejriwal said investors would no longer need to visit offices or meet officials for approvals. Mann and Kejriwal also announced additional measures to boost industrial growth, including land feasibility reports in 15 days, a new subdivision policy for industrial plots, leasehold to freehold land conversion, a Rs 250-crore industrial incentive package, auction of 260 industrial plots, Rs 300 crore to revamp 52 industrial hubs, simplified fire NOCs without yearly renewals, and a land-use conversion policy for industrial plots.