NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at reducing the compliance burden on thousands of eating establishments in the national capital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday discussed integrating their licencing systems through a common online platform.
According to officials aware of the matter, the proposal is expected to streamline approvals and improve ease of doing business for eateries through a largely digital single-window process.
Under the proposed mechanism, establishments seeking mandatory approvals will no longer have to separately approach the civic body for a health trade licence. Applications initiated through the FSSAI registration portal will instead be redirected to the MCD system, enabling a unified process for obtaining required clearances.
The proposal was discussed during a meeting between officials of FSSAI and MCD, with both agencies agreeing to create a fully computerised online framework to simplify approvals and reduce paperwork.
Following the integration, applicants registering with FSSAI will be redirected to the MCD portal for payment of the applicable health trade licence fee, after which the remaining process will be handled digitally.
“The objective is to improve ease of doing business and reduce the compliance burden on eating establishments while ensuring that public health safeguards remain intact,” an official said.
Health trade licences are issued by civic bodies to ensure that food establishments maintain prescribed hygiene and sanitation standards in food preparation, storage and handling. The licence is separate from FSSAI registration, which governs food safety standards under central regulations.
Officials said licence fees under the MCD framework vary depending on the category and scale of establishments and range between Rs 10,000 and Rs 5 lakh. Once implemented, the integrated system is expected to reduce physical visits to government offices, shorten approval timelines and improve transparency in municipal licencing processes.
