‘Made in Bastar’: How Chhattisgarh is moving from Red to green

* Investment proposals worth Rs 8 lakh crore across 290 projects received since the release of an Industrial Development Policy in November 2024, offering 1.9 lakh jobs. * Of these 175, or about 60%, amounting to Rs 2.95 lakh crore, off the ground.

* 145 projects, or half of the total, in new-age sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, food processing and tourism. * 18% of the investment headed for Bastar division. When NITI Aayog came out with its rankings in the category of Regulatory Ease and Institutional Environment among 17 large states in July, it packed a surprise.

Topping the list was an unusual name: Chhattisgarh. As the BJP government at the Centre pushed ahead with its operations to end Maoist insurgency, the state worst affected by it rolled out measures to come out of its shadow, about a year after the BJP wrested power in Chhattisgarh.

The Industrial Development Policy 2024-30 unveiled by the Vishnu Deo Sai government in November 2024 proposed measures such as fully digital allotment of 1,548 acres of land for industrial purposes without human intervention, automatic mutation of 2.5 lakh land records, hassle-free registration, and provision of 39,000 services via a single click.

Nearly two years later, the impact is showing. Says Rajat Kumar, Secretary, Commerce & Industries: “Reforms only count when it saves time, and time is what investors value most. That is why a state known for coal and steel is now building chips, AI data centres and garments… .

Twenty-six years (since the creation of Chhattisgarh), the next 26 will be decided by what we make possible for people to build here.” On the ground, the time taken for approvals, and receiving NOCs, construction permits and utility connections has been drastically shortened, while the cost of exiting has been cut.

Where discretionary, file-based clearance was the norm, there is now time-bound service delivery, automatic escalation on delay and deemed approval where departments do not act. Even small measures such as the Udyam Aakanksha registration form cutting down the number of fields to be filled on the portal from 126 to just 54 have helped.

The portal has been created for registration of enterprises and issue of approval certificates to MSMEs for starting businesses and claiming state incentives. Officials talk of a surge in applications from previous Maoist heartlands such as Sukma, Dantewada and Kondagaon, by “102%”.

Says Minister for Commerce and Industry Lakhan Lal Dewangan: “Chhattisgarh is no longer just a land of resources, but a state that turns possibilities into industry and employment.” Kumar cites five specific measures that have boosted Chhattisgarh to the top in the category of Regulatory Ease and Institutional Environment: a) Chhattisgarh was the first state to enact a second “Jan Vishwas” legislative edition.

Since January 2026, 279 minor business provisions have been decriminalised and compliance shifted from inspector-led enforcement. b) This year the state also passed the Ease of Doing Business Act, under which Chhattisgarh’s permission system is now based on risk-based classification, with the categories to be notified for 43 services soon.

High-risk activities, such as those posing a threat to the environment, will have a notified validity period, and low-risk units move to self-certification or certification by a licensed engineer, architect or chartered professional.

If a department does not act within the notified timeline, the approval will be taken as granted. The Act has also brought in land reforms such as allowing easier conversion of agricultural land for industrial use, with acknowledgement guaranteed in 15 days.

c) Under “entry and compliance”, home-based registration is permitted, which means small businesses with 20 or more employees can register through simple intimation, with no application scrutiny and no inspection. New electricity connections require no site inspection and no contractor test report, only self-certification and an instant online estimate.

Homestay registration carries lifetime validity. d) Certain businesses such as restaurants have been allowed to operate round the clock, with women permitted to work all shifts, subject to safety and hygiene. e) A OneClick single window system now integrates 186 services across 10 departments, with the applicant receiving regular updates on the status of his or her application, along with geo-tagged inspections and real-time dashboards.