In a major reform aimed at improving the ease of doing business in the Union Territory, the Central Government has extended the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020, to Chandigarh with suitable modifications.The notification, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, seeks to establish a streamlined, technology-driven regulatory framework for industrial and commercial enterprises in Chandigarh.The notification provides that the Act, originally applicable in Punjab, will now operate in Chandigarh with necessary adaptations, replacing references to the Punjab Government with the Administrator, Union Territory Chandigarh, and creating a separate institutional mechanism suited to the Union Territory’s administrative structure.A key feature of the reform is the establishment of the Chandigarh Enterprise and Investment Bureau, which will function as the nodal agency for facilitating investment proposals, processing self-declarations, coordinating approvals, resolving grievances, and promoting industrial growth. The Bureau will be headed by the Secretary, Industries, Chandigarh Administration, as the Chief Executive Officer, with the Director Industries serving as Additional CEO.The Industries Department will function as its secretariat. As per the notification, the Bureau has been entrusted with wide-ranging responsibilities, including facilitating self-declaration processes, issuing in-principle approval certificates, coordinating with various departments, ensuring time-bound disposal of investment proposals, maintaining records, building awareness among stakeholders, and implementing investment promotion policies notified by the Chandigarh Administration.The notification also introduces a fully digital single-window clearance mechanism. All applications, self-declarations, tracking of approvals, inspection reports, and grievance redressal processes will be conducted electronically through the Chandigarh Administration’s designated online single-window portal.The portal will be integrated with all competent authorities to enable seamless approvals. Importantly, deemed approvals envisaged under the Act will be generated automatically through the portal without human intervention wherever applicable.The Act has also expanded the definition of eligible industrial infrastructure to include industrial areas, industrial estates, mixed-use zones, Special Economic Zones, biotechnology parks, information technology parks, food processing parks, and other projects approved by the Chandigarh Administration or the Central Government. Additionally, multiplexes established in areas earmarked for commercial or entertainment use under Chandigarh’s notified Master Plan have been brought within the ambit of eligible enterprises.The notification replaces the earlier district-level institutional framework with a Chandigarh-specific model. References to district nodal agencies have been substituted with the Chandigarh Enterprise and Investment Bureau, while the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee replaces the Punjab Pollution Control Board for environmental clearances. To ensure comprehensive implementation, the Act now integrates approvals and services under multiple laws administered by different departments.These include building plan approvals, completion and occupancy certificates, fire safety clearances, factory licenses, shop and commercial establishment registrations, labor registrations, pollution control consents, forest no-objection certificates, electricity connections, and water supply and sewerage connections. The objective is to provide investors with a unified approval platform instead of approaching multiple departments separately.The notification also revises appellate provisions, expands the scope of digital governance, updates definitions of competent authorities and approved industrial parks, and harmonises various Chandigarh-specific laws and regulatory processes with the provisions of the Right to Business framework.The move is expected to significantly reduce regulatory delays, enhance transparency, strengthen investor confidence, and create a more business-friendly ecosystem in Chandigarh by providing faster, predictable, and technology-enabled approvals for eligible enterprises.