𝐎𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐄𝐨𝐃𝐁, 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬

Srinagar, April 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat to assess progress under the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) initiative, with a focus on compliance reduction and deregulation to enhance the region’s business environment.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to creating a business-friendly atmosphere, CM Abdullah emphasized simplifying regulations across sectors and reducing burdens on businesses, especially MSMEs. The meeting was part of a national initiative coordinated by the Cabinet Secretariat, PMO, NITI Aayog, DPIIT, and the Ministry of MSME.

Key reforms under discussion included eliminating outdated regulations, digitizing processes, enabling single-window clearances, and decriminalizing minor business infractions.

Deputy CM Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, and several senior officials and administrative secretaries attended the meeting. Officers from Srinagar joined via video conference.

CM Abdullah directed departments to break down reform action plans—most with 5–6-month timelines—into fortnightly deliverables, track progress regularly, and promptly upload plans on the MIS portal. He also instituted a bi-monthly review mechanism to ensure accountability.

Commissioner Secretary of Industries and Commerce, Vikramjit Singh, briefed the meeting on the J&K State Task Force’s efforts, led by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, which has identified 23 priority areas. These include land use changes, labour laws, building codes, utility permissions, and overall governance improvements.

Discussions covered flexible zoning for mixed-use development, simplifying the CLU process, updating fire and road norms, GIS mapping of industrial areas, and linking them to the India Industrial Land Bank. Labour reforms enabling women to work night shifts, raising employee thresholds, simplifying licensing, and fully integrating J&K’s Single Window Portal with the National Single Window System (NSWS) were also reviewed.

The CM urged a proactive implementation approach and reiterated the need for continuous monitoring to ensure timely execution of reforms