Delhi approves bill to ease process of approvals, licences for businesses

The Delhi Cabinet Wednesday approved a bill to ease the process of registrations, approvals and licences for setting up a business in the Capital that features a provision for a single-window system to apply for these clearances.

The draft bill, called the Delhi Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, also proposes the categorisation of certain activities as ‘low risk’, for which approval, permission, licence or no-objection certificate will be granted as soon as the application is submitted.

A statement issued by the government said that the aim of the bill is to “create a system where business owners and entrepreneurs do not have to visit different government offices, submit the same information repeatedly or wait for long periods for the necessary approvals”.

It stated that the key feature of the proposed legislation is a single-window online system for businesses to apply for approvals, registrations, no-objection certificates, consents, licences, as well as other services such as building plans, fire-related approvals, and water, sewer and electricity connections.

It proposed that the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) be the nodal agency for approvals under the system. Activities listed in Schedule 3 of the bill will be considered ‘low risk’.

The draft bill has proposed that the timelines prescribed under the Right to Timely and Easy Delivery of Services to Citizens Act, 2026 be applicable for approvals for other activities, and that the approvals be deemed to be granted after the lapse of the stipulated periods.

A “negative-list based system” has also been proposed. Apart from activities specified in ‘negative list’ in Schedule-2 of the bill, an enterprise will be able to carry out any activity at any location.

“The basic principle will be that anything that is not prohibited is permitted. This will mark a shift from a system in which anything not expressly permitted is treated as prohibited,” the government has stated.