CM Omar Reviews Phase-2 Deregulation Reforms in Jammu Kashmir  | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to review progress on Compliance Reduction and Deregulation 2.0,  a nationwide reform initiative aimed at easing regulatory burdens and creating a more business-friendly and citizen-centric environment across Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister emphasised that governance reforms should simplify procedures not only for businesses but also for the general public. “We should endeavour to make life easy not just for industry, but for the common population as well,” he said during the review meeting.

Officials informed the meeting that Phase 1 of the programme had identified 23 priority reform areas, all of which were successfully completed by the JK Government. Phase 2 expands the initiative to another 23 critical areas spanning sectors such as healthcare, education, tourism and industry.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary and ministers Sakeena Itoo, Javed Ahmed Rana, Javid Ahmad Dar and Satish Sharma. Adviser to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani also participated in the deliberations.

Senior officials present included Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and Additional Chief Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office Dheeraj Gupta, along with Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary (Power Development Department) Ashwani Kumar and Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism) Ashish Chandra Verma, among other senior officers.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary briefed participants on the current status of reforms aimed at reducing the number of permissions required to start and run businesses in the Union Territory.

The Chief Minister conducted a detailed review of the proposed interventions and sought specific timelines from departments. He said the purpose of regulations should be to streamline systems rather than create procedural obstacles for citizens and enterprises.

Discussions covered several priority areas including easing land-use frameworks to facilitate building permissions and industrial land utilisation, removing dual licensing requirements for businesses and strengthening a nodal agency to handle industrial approvals.

The meeting also examined proposals to simplify regulatory norms for private educational institutions and streamline the registration process for medical practitioners through a unified licensing mechanism.

Measures to strengthen digital governance were also discussed, including establishing an auto-appeal mechanism under the Public Services Guarantee Act to ensure time-bound delivery of services and creating a centralised digital repository of state laws, rules and government orders.

Reducing end-to-end turnaround time on the government’s Single Window System for approvals was also identified as a priority.

Concluding the meeting, the Chief Minister directed departments to submit measurable timelines for each reform intervention and reiterated that easing the regulatory environment remains central to attracting investment and delivering tangible benefits to citizens, entrepreneurs and investors in Jammu and Kashmir.