Expedite industry clearances to make the state attractive for investments: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah tells officials

Siddaramaiah said that decisions will be taken in the next cabinet meeting to bring in laws that facilitate faster processes for industries investing in Karnataka. Amendment of laws and rules to promote an industry-friendly ecosystem will be facilitated, the CM further said.

“The time limit for issuing various NOCs (No Objection Certificates), including the land use change process that is required for starting industries, should be reduced. A detailed proposal should be submitted for reducing the time limit. Delays should not be allowed for any reason,” Siddaramaiah said at the meeting.

“The approval of the Pollution Control Board and the Fire Department is being delayed and should be expedited. For this, necessary changes should be made in the board’s regulations. All the departments should reschedule the time limit for granting approvals. Action should be taken against officers who fail to grant approvals within the time limit,” he said.

The chief minister has directed government departments to work in coordination to provide necessary infrastructure, including roads, water, and electricity, to industries.

“There are complaints that applications are not being disposed of under the single-window system. Action should be taken to provide all services. Currently, 29 services are outside the single-window system; they should also be brought under it. Action should be taken for unified disposal of all applications under the single-window system,” the CM said.

Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil said after the meeting that efforts will be made to make Karnataka a top state in the ease of doing business.

“The chief secretary has been instructed to issue necessary directions to various departments and submit a report.

“During the meeting, the chief minister discussed the timeframes followed by neighbouring states such as Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh for granting various industrial clearances,” he said.

It was pointed out that Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh take between a week to 66 days to facilitate land conversion, power supply, tree-felling or transplantation permissions, water supply, fire safety clearance, industrial registration and licensing, boiler registration, and lift operation licences, compared to between 20 and 120 days in Karnataka.

“Investors have pointed out that major delays are occurring, particularly in the Pollution Control Board and the Fire Services Department. To overcome this, the advanced Single Window Portal developed by Microsoft and launched during the Investors’ Meet (in February 2025) has already integrated 115 services from 20 departments,” Patil said.

“However, 29 services from departments such as Stamps and Registration, Pollution Control Board, Labour, Fire Services, BDA, Revenue, Drug Control, KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board), and BMRDA (Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority) are yet to be brought under the portal. Efforts are underway to integrate these remaining services at the earliest,” the industries minister said.

Karnataka faces stiff competition in the industrial sector from states like Gujarat, Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh, and for investors, time is equivalent to money, Patil said. “Any delay in approvals could prove costly for the state. Hence, a firm decision has been taken to eliminate such delays,” he pointed out.

At the Global Investors’ Summit held in Karnataka in February, investments worth Rs 10.27 lakh crore were attracted, and 60 per cent of the investments are in the implementation stage, he said.

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