A key area of reforms is easing the process of getting the NOC from different departments.The Centre directed the rationalisation of NOCs. For this, UT departments will undertake a study of all the NOCs, permits, licences, compliances, etc. The UT law department will be the nodal agency for this purpose. This exercise will be streamlined to identify NOCs, licences, permits, etc.To achieve this, the action planned (already being implemented in some departments) includes digitisation at the level of the department; omission at the level of MHA and the Administrator, as per provisions of delegation of powers; and third-party certification at the level of MHA and the Administrator, as per provisions of delegation of powers.A senior UT official said, “The UT is studying and creating a comprehensive list of all licences/NOCs required for business operations and categorising them into those that can be eliminated and those that must be retained.”Remove dual licences for businessesThere are multiple instances where applicants face dual licensing for starting or operating their business. To eliminate dual licences, the law department, with assistance from other departments, will undertake a study and create a comprehensive list of all licences required for business operations and categorise them into those that can be eliminated and those that must be retained.The administration is considering amending the municipal laws or other applicable laws to eliminate dual licensing for a single nature of compliance. “The recommendations for licences/NOCs to be eliminated will be sent to MHA as per provisions of delegation of powers in the respective Act.”In a department like health, the Centre asked the UT to consider allowing medical practitioners (eg doctors, nurses, technicians) registered in any state (SMC) or the National Medical Register (NMR) to practise in the UT without requiring additional prior approval in that state.This arrangement may be based on self-certification, and the UT need not seek any NOC from the previous state of the medical practitioner. To that end, the UT may consider amending the relevant Medical Council Act/Rules, the Centre suggested.“The medical practitioners’ registration/NOC to practise in Chandigarh is governed by the Punjab Medical Council. The respective Medical Council Act/Rules will be amended accordingly,” said a UT official.In the labour dept, registration for shops and commercial establishments will be done without the requirement of approval, on an intimation basis. The UT plans to allow this registration for the life of the establishment, or adopt a deemed licensing approach.“Regarding the deemed licensing approach, benchmarking with the provisions in other states and UTs will be done. Also, feasibility analysis with the concerned departments will be undertaken. Thereafter, the proposal will be shared with MHA for approval.”Automatic licences for manufacturers and dealers of weights and measuresThe UT plans to automatically approve licences for manufacturers and dealers without requiring a govt inspection. “There will also be no requirement for renewal of the licence. A similar process will be adopted for manufacturers and packers of pre-packaged commodities. Verification and stamping of instruments used for commercial purposes will be based on self-certification for low-risk weights and measures, and on third-party certification for all other categories. The UT will send a proposal to MHA to further facilitate the matter with the concerned ministry,” said the official.
