Delhi Cabinet greenlights single-window Bill to simplify business approvals

The Delhi Cabinet has approved the Delhi Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, a proposed law aimed at overhauling how enterprises obtain approvals, registrations, licences and other clearances in the national capital. The Chief Minister's Office announced the decision on Wednesday, stating that the Bill seeks to replace multiple government touchpoints with a unified online platform.

The centrepiece of the legislation, as described by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, is a single-window system. Under this framework, businesses would apply for all necessary permissions — including building plan approvals, fire safety clearances, and water, sewerage and electricity connections — through one user-friendly online portal. The government statement said that citizens and enterprises would no longer need to visit different offices or submit separate applications for each requirement.

The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) has been designated as the single nodal agency responsible for processing all business approvals through this system. The Chief Minister said the government is working towards a model where entrepreneurs do not have to visit multiple departments, repeat the same information, or endure long waiting periods for clearances.

According to the official statement, the Bill intends to shift the relationship between the state and enterprises from one of control and suspicion to one based on trust and convenience. It describes the proposed framework as simple, transparent, time-bound and technology-driven. The government said the changes are expected to make doing business in Delhi easier, faster, more transparent and less costly.

A notable provision in the Bill concerns low-risk activities listed under its Schedule 3. For these activities, approvals, permissions, licences or no-objection certificates would be granted immediately upon submission, based on self-declaration. The statement said this would spare entrepreneurs in low-risk sectors from lengthy approval processes.

The Bill also seeks to eliminate duplicate registrations. Enterprises already registered under the Goods and Services Tax, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, or the labour codes would not need to obtain separate registrations for trade, health-trade, eating house, or shops and establishments.

Another key feature is a trust-based inspection regime. Once an enterprise is registered, no routine inspection would be carried out for three years. However, inspections could still be conducted if a serious complaint is received, according to the statement.

The Bill will now be sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for approval, as required under the constitutional arrangement for Delhi. The legislative process will only begin after the central government gives its nod. Observers note that the success of the single-window system will depend on its implementation and on the coordination between various departments involved in the approval chain.