NEW DELHI: Businesses in Delhi could soon be spared lengthy approval processes and repeated inspections, with the Delhi Cabinet clearing the draft of the Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, which proposes self-certification for low-risk industries, deemed approvals and a single-window clearance system to simplify regulatory procedures.The proposed legislation, approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday, also seeks to ensure that low-risk enterprises are not subjected to routine inspections for the first three years after registration.The Bill has now been sent to the Union home ministry for further action, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).One of the key provisions of the Bill is deemed approval, under which approvals, registrations or No Objection Certificates (NOCs) will automatically be treated as granted if the competent authority fails to take a decision within the prescribed timeframe.Applicants will be able to download these approvals directly from an online portal, a move the government said would reduce delays and prevent files from remaining pending unnecessarily.The proposed law also aims to eliminate the need for businesses to seek approvals, registrations, licences and NOCs from multiple departments by introducing a Single Window System.The online portal will process services including building plan approvals, factory licences, fire clearances, water, sewer and electricity connections, RERA registrations and co-operative society registrations within stipulated timelines.Gupta said the Bill has been drafted under the Centre’s Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Initiative (Phase II) and aligns with the objectives of the Jan Vishwas Bill, 2023.“The government is working towards creating a system where approvals are easier to obtain, procedures are clear, decisions are taken within fixed timelines and unnecessary compliance burdens are eliminated,” she said.The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) will serve as the nodal agency, overseeing the entire approval process from receiving applications to issuing final clearances.The Bill also proposes easing development control norms in notified industrial areas by removing restrictions on Floor Area Ratio (FAR), ground coverage, setbacks and building height to facilitate industrial expansion.For low-risk activities, approvals related to fire safety, building plans, pollution permissions and low-tension electricity connections will be granted on the basis of self-declaration, allowing small and low-hazard businesses to begin operations without procedural delays.Enterprises already registered under GST, FSSAI, the MSMED Act or the Labour Codes will no longer be required to obtain separate trade licences, health trade licences, eating house licences or Shops and Establishments registrations, the CMO said.The government said this would eliminate duplicate licensing requirements and significantly reduce compliance burdens.Gupta said inspections would ordinarily not be carried out during the first three years after registration, except in cases involving complaints of a serious nature.The proposed legislation also introduces a Negative List approach, allowing entrepreneurs to undertake any activity unless it has been specifically prohibited under a notified list. It also empowers the government to prescribe a common validity period for licences and NOCs and allows verification and certification services to be carried out through empanelled professionals, the statement added.(With PTI inputs)
