The mango that broke a market
It is peak mango season in India. The Alphonso harvest is at its richest, the Kesar at its most fragrant.
Diligent and consistent efforts by the state bureaucracy, coupled with the inspiring supervision of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, have enabled Rajasthan to emerge as one of the leading states in implementing the national reform agenda prescribed by the Centre, aimed at reducing compliance burdens and establishing a robust deregulation regime across all states.
With the objective of ensuring “Ease of Doing Business,” the Cabinet Secretariat, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, initiated this exercise for all states.
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As part of this national reform agenda, Chief Minister Sharma has provided active leadership for the state’s participation and ensured effective and timely implementation through regular reviews and evaluations, an official spokesman said here on Friday evening.
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As a result, Rajasthan has emerged among the top states that achieved full compliance in all 23 priority areas identified by the Centre. These reforms were systematically implemented, creating a strong and efficient ecosystem that further reinforced the Ease of Doing Business framework.
The regulatory structure was simplified and modernised, laying a robust foundation for the grounding and implementation of the MoUs signed during the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit, the spokesman said.
To remain committed to strengthening the Ease of Doing Business ecosystem, the state has implemented several transformative reforms.
To promote the MSME sector, the state amended Rule 90 to simplify the land conversion process in urban areas, reducing the timeline from 60 to 30 working days, after which automatic approval is granted. This has reduced project delays and accelerated the launch of new enterprises.
In the field of pollution control, the state has made remarkable progress. For MSMEs, the timeline for Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) was reduced from 120 days to 21 days, and for red/large category enterprises to 60 days.
Additionally, the Pollution Control Board introduced system-generated auto-renewal of CTOs for units complying with environmental laws based on self-certification.
Moreover, amendments to the Water and Air Pollution Rules expanded the list of non-polluting White Category industries from 104 sectors to 877 sectors, exempting more non-polluting industries from regulatory requirements.
This has accelerated project approvals and promoted industrial growth, the spokesman stated, adding: “To reduce the regulatory burden on micro-enterprises, the Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1958, was amended to increase the employee limit from 0 to 10.”
Furthermore, to strengthen the Ease of Doing Business and make establishments more convenient, the state issued an ordinance increasing permissible working hours under the Act. Daily working hours were raised from 9 to 10, with a minimum 30-minute break after 6 hours of work, and the quarterly overtime limit was increased to 144 hours.
Additionally, the Rajasthan government amended Rule 100 of the Rajasthan Factory Rules, 1951, allowing women workers (except pregnant women and mothers) to work in all hazardous tasks, including 15 tasks that were previously prohibited for women.
Fire safety compliance was streamlined by introducing third-party fire inspections through empanelled agencies and extending the validity period of Fire NOC certificates, thereby reducing procedural delays while ensuring safety standards.
Rajasthan also became a leading state in rationalising minimum road-width requirements for rural industries. Road width was fixed at 9 metres in areas with layout plans and 4.5 metres in areas without layout plans.
The state implemented significant reforms to optimise land use in industrial and commercial areas. The Urban Development and Housing Department and RIICO amended building standards to ensure optimal land utilisation and rationalised parking norms. The earlier restriction of 50% ground coverage on commercial plots was removed, providing greater flexibility in urban planning.
In the field of urban development, the Rajasthan government issued the Transit-Oriented Development Policy, aimed at promoting compact, pedestrian-friendly, and transport-centric urban growth.
This policy encourages high-density mixed-use development around metro corridors, BRTS routes, and major transportation networks, helping reduce traffic congestion, restrict horizontal urban sprawl, increase public transport usage, and support the development of cleaner, more efficient cities.
In the area of decriminalisation, the state notified the Rajasthan Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Ordinance, 2025, amending provisions of 11 state laws to decriminalise minor offences.
Under this ordinance, criminal provisions were replaced with monetary penalties, penalties were rationalised, and criminal proceedings were reduced, making it easier for citizens and businesses to operate.
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