How Chhattisgarh is moving from Red to green, Pg16

Key Highlights:

• Chhattisgarh topped the NITI Aayog ranking for Regulatory Ease and Institutional Environment among 17 large states in July.
• The state unveiled its Industrial Development Policy 2024-30 in November 2024, focusing on digital land allotment and streamlined services.
• Reforms include the decriminalization of 279 minor business provisions and the enactment of a second Jan Vishwas legislative edition since January 2026.
• The state passed the Ease of Doing Business Act, introducing risk-based classification for permissions and deemed approvals.
• New investments include India's first AI Data Centre Park and a Disaster Recovery Data Centre Campus, attracting over Rs 8 lakh crore in proposals.

Detailed Insights:

• The Industrial Development Policy 2024-30 facilitates fully digital allotment of 1,548 acres for industrial use and automatic mutation of 2.5 lakh land records.
• The state has drastically shortened approval times, NOCs, construction permits, and utility connections, while reducing exit costs for businesses.
• The Udyam Aakanksha registration form reduced required fields from 126 to 54, simplifying enterprise registration for MSMEs.
• Applications from former Maoist-affected regions like Sukma, Dantewada, and Kondagaon have surged by 102%.
• The Ease of Doing Business Act allows low-risk units to move to self-certification or certification by licensed professionals.
• Home-based registration is permitted for small businesses with 20 or more employees through simple intimation, without application scrutiny or inspection.
• New power connections require only self-certification and an instant online estimate, eliminating site inspections and contractor test reports.
• The OneClick single window system integrates 186 services across 10 departments, providing real-time updates and geo-tagged inspections.
• The state now allows certain businesses, such as restaurants, to operate round the clock, with provisions for women to work all shifts under safety guidelines.

Key Concepts Involved:

• NITI Aayog: A policy think tank of the Government of India, providing strategic and technical advice to the central and state governments.
• Industrial Development Policy: A government framework outlining strategies and incentives to promote industrial growth and investment within a region.
• Jan Vishwas Act: Legislation aimed at decriminalizing minor offenses across various laws to promote ease of doing business and reduce the burden on the judicial system.
• Ease of Doing Business: An index and set of reforms designed to simplify regulations and procedures for starting and operating a business.