J&K CM: Fostering Business-Friendly Environment

Jammu, Apr 19 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday reiterated his government's commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment and streamlining regulatory frameworks across various sectors in the Union Territory.

He was addressing a high-level meeting convened here to review the progress on compliance reduction and deregulation under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) framework aimed at making the regulatory environment more conducive for businesses.

The meeting was part of the national initiative led by the Union cabinet secretariat in collaboration with key institutions including the PMO, NITI Aayog, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), an official spokesman said.

The initiative focuses on eliminating redundant regulations, reducing compliance burdens, particularly for MSMEs, promoting digitisation and single-window clearances, and decriminalising business laws wherever necessary.

Instructing all officers to break down the identified action plans -- most of which have timelines of five to six months -- into smaller, achievable deliverables on a fortnightly basis, Abdullah emphasised the need to track progress closely and examine reasons for any delays.

He directed that finalised action plans be promptly uploaded on the MIS portal and that implementation should begin without delay.

Stressing the importance of accountability, Abdullah laid down a review mechanism under which the progress of reforms will be evaluated every two months.

"My government is committed to fostering a business-friendly environment and streamlining regulatory frameworks across various sectors," he said.

Earlier, Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce Vikramjit Singh briefed the meeting on the efforts of the J&K State Task Force, headed by Union Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

The Task Force has identified 23 priority areas covering land use, labour reforms, building regulations, utility permissions and broader governance practices, he said.

Singh noted that action plans for each area have been developed in coordination with the concerned departments and include clear timelines and reform measures.

Key areas discussed during the meeting included the introduction of flexible zoning frameworks to allow mixed-use development, simplification and digitisation of the land use change (CLU) process, fire service department clearances and rationalisation of road width norms for rural industries along with updated building bylaws aimed at minimising land loss, the spokesman said.

He said the meeting also deliberated on GIS mapping of industrial estates and their integration with the India Industrial Land Bank (IILB), labour reforms enabling night-time employment of women and raising worker thresholds, decriminalisation of minor violations and simplification of licensing procedures.

Additionally, the integration of water and electricity services under the single-window system and the full linkage of J-K's Single Window Portal with the National Single Window System (NSWS) were discussed in detail, he said.

The chief minister stressed adopting a proactive approach and reiterated the importance of uploading approved action plans on the MIS portal.

He underscored the need for continuous monitoring and periodic reviews to ensure timely and effective implementation of the reforms.