Modi eyes India in top 50

According to a World Bank report released in June 2015, India ranks 130 (out of 189 countries) in ease of doing business; however in dealing with construction permits, India ranked a pathetic 183. In the next edition of World Bank report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi eyes to see India among the top 50 nations globally with regards to construction permits. The report takes into account only two cities, i.e., Mumbai and Delhi while calculating the ranking for India. Stakeholders from Mumbai and Delhi have been urged by the Ministry of Urban Development to adhere to total integration and quick online approvals for the construction projects. In this regards, Rajiv Gauba, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), and Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), recently reviewed the progress. It generally takes around 231 days to complete as many as 28 procedures for construction approvals in Delhi and about 147 days to complete 40 procedures in Mumbai, according to a data released by World Bank. The Municipal Corporations of Delhi have already taken a major step towards this. To make this dream a reality, the Municipal Corporations of Delhi have launched a four-page Common Application Form to enable single window clearances for ease of doing construction business in the stipulated 30 days. As many as 10 agencies including Delhi Urban Arts Commission, Heritage Conservation Committee, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Jal Board, have already been integrated with the form. Discoms in Delhi have been requested to ensure necessary approvals within 15 days of receiving applications. MoUD had even released a set of model building byelaws, which provide a structural framework to help create an online single window building plan approval process. Mumbai is also expected to ensure total integration by the end of April.