Mohali News: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Chief Guest Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday unveiled 12 new initiatives to revolutionize industrial growth in the state thereby launching a new era of growth and prosperity for Punjab’s industry under Punjab Udyog Kranti.
Divulging more details, the Chief Guest said that a set of 12 initiatives will revolutionize how industry in Punjab operates, how industry interacts with the Government and how industry can unlock value of its land and become more competitive nationally as well as globally. He said that firstly the state government will ensure deemed approval system in 45 days for all the applications thereby stipulating that all approvals and clearances for setting up a business or expanding an existing business will be issued in maximum of 45 working days, addressing one of the biggest concerns of investors – delay and uncertainty. Previously, Arvind Kejriwal said that many clearances had notified timelines of 60 to 120 working days, and actual processing often took even longer, creating unpredictability in project execution.
Now, the Chief Guest said that upon applying for a new business, within seven days the state government will review the application online and inform the applicant about deficiency, if any, 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. Arvind Kejriwal asserted that this accountability-backed, system-driven reform makes Punjab a national model in investor facilitation surpassing even the most industrialized states such as Telangana, Karnataka (both Congress governed), Gujarat, Maharasthra (both BJP governed) and Tamil Nadu.
Secondly, the Chief Guest said that Fast-track Punjab portal has been launched as a Single-window for all approvals. He said that though previous governments in Punjab had claimed to start a single window system but all of them had proved a sham. However, Arvind Kejriwal said that 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.
The Chief Guest said that the portal provides end-to-end regulatory clearances for industry, institutional projects, and services sectors, backed by a digitally tracked workflow, auto-escalations, and real-time status updates— ensuring investors never have to “run from pillar to post”. Thirdly, he said that the state government has significantly expanded the scope of Right to Business Act and now if any industrialist is starting a project with an investment upto Rs 125 Crore then they won’t even have to wait for 45 days for approvals. Arvind Kejriwal said that based on the self-declaration of industrialists, the government will give you in-Principle approvals within three days if the project is located in an industrial park but if the project is outside an industrial park, in-principle approvals in 15 days.
The Chief Guest said that these approvals will be valid for 3.5 years in which time industry has to take requisite approvals adding that this will benefit approximately 95% of project proposals in Punjab, including industry, IT units, hospitals, hotels, and educational institutions (excluding infrastructure projects, real estate and housing projects). He said that the state government will bring an amendment to the Right to Business Act in the next assembly session to implement these provisions. Arvind Kejriwal said that in another facility for investors, Punjab is now easing the processes for issuing building plan approvals and structural stability certificate as this used to be hugely time consuming and expensive for investors as they had to run behind only a handful of experts empanelled by government adding that now the state government introducing a self-certification system.
The Chief Guest said that the industrialists can get their building plan approved by any architect and the state government will accept the same. Similarly, he said that the industrialists can get their building stability certificate issued by any qualified civil/structural engineer and the state government will accept the same. Arvind Kejriwal said that there will be no more unnecessary inspections and running behind the government for approvals.
In another succor to the industrialists, the Chief Guest also announced to simplify the norms for issuing fire safety NOC in Punjab making Punjab the most progressive state in this regard across India. He said that a Self-certification system is being introduced and the fire drawings/ schemes made by empanelled architects shall be accepted by the Government. Arvind Kejriwal said that validity of Fire NoCs for industry has been revised from one year earlier to three to five years on the basis of risk classification with only hazardous industries requiring annual NoC.
The Chief Guest said that out of the 12 initiatives, four initiatives are related to providing transparency in land ownership and unlocking the value of industrial land for the investors. He said that this recognizes that land is scarce and precious in Punjab and if land value can be unlocked, it significantly impacts the competitiveness of businesses in Punjab. Arvind Kejriwal said that for the first time in India, Punjab is launching a digitally delivered Land Feasibility Certificate, issued by the Circle Revenue Officer (CRO)/ Tehsildar within a notified timeline of 15 working days.
The Chief Guest said that this service verifies land ownership, along with land zoning and sitting for an investor giving the investor comfort about his/ her land ownership. He said that this will also become a foundational clearance which will enable applying for subsequent approvals such as environmental and construction permits. Arvind Kejriwal said that Punjab’s new plot sub-division policy allows easy division of industrial plots among family members, co-developers, or joint ventures, giving businesses the flexibility to monetize or redevelop land according to evolving needs.
The Chief Guest said that it will promote efficient land use, encourage Brownfield investment, and simplify asset management for investors. He said that the process is fully digitized with clear timelines, eligibility norms, and safeguards against misuse, ensuring a fair and transparent approach. Arvind Kejriwal said that another important initiative addresses a long-standing industry demand, allowing conversion of leasehold plots into freehold plots.
The Chief Guest said that this will be done easily through a clear and transparent framework for which a policy will be introduced by the state government. He said that this move will significantly enhance land marketability, eases access to bank loans and finance, and enables ownership-based expansion or transfer. Arvind Kejriwal said that in another landmark initiative over Rs 250 crore will be disbursed towards industry incentives in just the first quarter of FY 2025–26, exceeding the cumulative disbursed during the last Congress govt (Rs 53 Cr over 5 years) or Akali-BJP govt (no incentive disbursed).
The Chief Guest said that the state government is clearing all the backlog of incentives to be paid to investors adding that Rs 150 Crore has already been disbursed since April 2025 and by end of this month, a total of Rs 250 Cr will be disbursed, which will be a record in Punjab’s history. He said that to ensure that land doesn’t become a constraint for new investors, Punjab has opened up 260 industrial plots for auction across all PSIEC Focal Points adding that this landmark step addresses long-pending industry demand for industrial plots, and will give fresh momentum to catalyze project grounding and new investments across the state. Finally, Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government will invest Rs 300 crore in focal point infrastructural upgrades by November 2025 adding that building work has been already done, roads, signages, street lights, green belts, boundary walls, cleanliness and sanitation will all be brought to high quality standards in the next six months.
Similarly, the Chief Guest said that large sewerage and STP related work will be done by June 2026 adding that the state government will also develop and implement an industrial park maintenance model that ensures that Government and industry work hand in hand to upkeep the maintenance going forward. In order to ensure that all of this is realized in the field and there is no harassment to industry from field level officials or other stakeholders, he said that a robust grievance redressal system is being put into place in the Fast-track Punjab portal as well as through a call center. Arvind Kejriwal said that the state government is committed to ensure industry operates in Punjab with ease and with national/global competitiveness thus growing Punjab’s economy and opportunities for employment.
The Chief Guest envisioned that ‘Punjab Udyog Kranti’ will take Punjab and its industry towards greater heights and realize the vision of Rangla Punjab. He said that the Fasttrack Portal launched by the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann marks the beginning of corruption free industrialization in the state. Arvind Kejriwal said that the 12 initiatives launched by the state government under Udyog Kranti will end the corrupt regime and era of patronage.
The Chief Guest said that this is unprecedented in the history of the country and has never been witnessed in any part of the country. Arvind Kejriwal said that earthshaking reforms are aimed at giving fillip to the industrial growth adding that those industrialists who have left the state should also come back and restart their ventures. He said that the state government is committed to facilitate these industrialists so that they can excel in their work and contribute to the economic progress of the state.
