MOHALI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government today launched the Punjab Udyog Kranti initiative, claiming to be the first in the country to introduce such a comprehensive industrial revolution. The initiative is aimed at simplifying, reducing, and expediting the statutory processes required to set up industry in the state.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal unveiled 12 new initiatives designed to revolutionise industrial growth in the state, thereby launching a new era of growth and prosperity for Punjab’s industry under the Punjab Udyog Kranti.
Kejriwal said that a set of 12 initiatives will revolutionise how industry in Punjab operates, how industry interacts with the government, and how industry can unlock the value of its land and become more competitive nationally as well as globally.
He said, “Firstly, the state government will ensure a deemed approval system in 45 days for all applications, thereby stipulating that all approvals and clearances for setting up a business or expanding an existing business will be issued in a maximum of 45 working days, addressing one of the biggest concerns of investors – delay and uncertainty.”
Previously, Kejriwal said, many clearances had notified timelines of 60 to 120 working days, and actual processing often took even longer, creating unpredictability in project execution.
He said that upon applying for a new business, within seven days the state government will review the application online and inform the applicant about any deficiency, the removal of which will ensure they get all approvals within the remaining 45 days.
Additionally, he said that a deemed approval system has also been enabled and if no decision is taken by the designated authority within the notified timeline, the Fast-track Punjab portal will automatically generate an approval the next day, which holds the same legal validity as a regular clearance.
Kejriwal asserted, “This accountability-backed, system-driven reform makes Punjab a national model in investor facilitation, surpassing even the most industrialised states such as Telangana, Karnataka (both Congress governed), Gujarat, Maharashtra (both BJP governed) and Tamil Nadu.”
He said that the Fast-track Punjab portal has been launched as a single window for all approvals. Kejriwal said, “For the first time in India, Punjab has established a true single window for investors where they can apply and the state government will get their approvals cleared from all departments.”
Kejriwal said that in another facility for investors, Punjab is now easing the processes for issuing building plan approvals and structural stability certificates, as this used to be hugely time-consuming and expensive for investors who had to run behind only a handful of experts empanelled by the government. He added that now the state government is introducing a self-certification system.
Addressing the gathering, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the FastTrack Punjab Portal will ensure all the approvals to the investors within 45 days of application, adding that it is the backbone of a re-imagined industrial governance model.
He reiterated that these reforms are not the end, rather they are the beginning of a movement—a movement where ease of doing business becomes a culture, not a slogan.
He said that Punjab became the first state in the country to launch unique colour-coded stamp papers to facilitate entrepreneurs in setting up their units in the state, thereby giving a much-needed fillip to industrial growth. Mann said that this revolutionary step is aimed at promoting ease of doing business for entrepreneurs desirous of setting up their units in the state.
He said, “Any industrialist who is keen on setting up his industrial unit in the state can get this unique colour-coded stamp paper from the Invest Punjab Portal.”
He said that industrialists will have to just pay various fees required for getting clearances in the form of CLU, forest, pollution, fire and others to set up their unit while purchasing this single stamp paper only.
Mann said that after purchasing the stamp paper, the industrialist will get all the necessary clearances from all the departments within 15 days to set up his unit, adding that several states are also asking the state to replicate it.
Mann said that a single window and single pen system has been introduced to facilitate industrialists so that they can work freely. He said that the industrialists who work here create more employment opportunities, thereby propelling industrial growth in the state.
He said that unlike in the past, no one will harass the industrialists; rather, the state government will make every effort to promote and encourage the industry. He said that the state government has already set the wheels in motion to provide a single window system for facilitating the industry.
Mann said that the state government will make concerted efforts for safeguarding, promoting and expanding the existing industrial units in the state.