CM Naidu for reduction in regulations in State

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday called for restricting the number of permissions and licences required to set up industries to a single digit, without compromising public safety.

The CM made the remarks during a meeting with Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik and other officials to deliberate on the features of the second phase of deregulation proposed by the Central government.

The discussions focused on easing approvals and eliminating redundant clearances.

“Permissions and licences should be restricted to a single digit, with no compromise on public safety, the environment and other critical aspects,” Naidu said in a press release.

He also stressed the need to prioritise third-party auditing without scope for harassment and called for easing forest regulations as far as possible.

Naidu further suggested replacing the National Building Code with state-specific fire safety laws and urged the removal of duplicate licensing requirements.

He proposed extending one-time registration to lifetime validity and called for implementing the second phase of deregulation by the end of May through ordinances.

To enhance governance, the CM said the state is prioritising the “speed of governance” and the “speed of doing business,” rather than focusing solely on ease of doing business.

Senior state officials also urged a reduction in the number of rules and regulations from around 800 to 100.

Further, Naidu directed officials to simplify policies to ensure faster establishment of industries in the state.

Andhra Pradesh officials made a presentation to a central team led by Poundrik, outlining reforms already implemented along with future action plans.

Officials said 23 priority items across seven departments have been completed under phase 1. Under phase 2, 28 priority areas have been identified. Of the 47 recommendations, 18 have already been implemented, with the target of completing all by May 31, the press release said.

The CM stressed the need to reduce complexities in the approval process and significantly improve speed.

He called for the deletion of outdated laws, including those dating back to the British era.

Naidu made it clear that the entire approval process should be made online, calling for reducing the time required to set up industries by at least 40 per cent after phase 2 implementation.

Currently, businesses require around 82 different approvals, which Naidu instructed should be reduced to 57 in a phased manner.

Similarly, he called for reducing building plan approvals and occupancy certificates from 30 to 18.

He also emphasised faster land allocation in industrial parks and clusters, a single nodal agency for all approvals, and simplification in sectors such as fire safety, environment, power, tourism, education and health.