New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on June 30 issued the official orders from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena which state that certain businesses in Delhi no longer need to get licenses from the Delhi Police. The businesses include swimming pools, restaurants, hotels, motels, guesthouses, discotheques, video game parlours, amusement parks, and auditoriums.
As per government officials, the change was made after discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. They said that the Delhi Police had sent the Lieutenant Governor’s orders to the ministry, and the Home Minister helped speed up the approval process.
Aim to boost ease of doing business
This major change is meant to make it easier for people to start and run businesses. It comes after over 40 years of strict rules that began in the 1980s. In October 2023, the rules for these businesses were already made a bit easier, but now, police licenses are not needed at all to run them.
One official shared that Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier spoken to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the Lieutenant Governor, asking them to help reduce problems faced by local business owners. “This new rule will remove unnecessary steps and stop unwanted pressure on entrepreneurs. It will also encourage more such changes across the country,” the official said.
Former Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant hails move
Amitabh Kant, who has worked as India’s G20 Sherpa and also led Niti Aayog in the past, appreciated the decision. He said the move will make procedures simpler, remove extra rules, and help build trust between the government and business owners. He added, “When there are fewer rules, there is more progress, more jobs, and a stronger city economy. India should use this success to bring more similar reforms across states.”
Licensing for these types of businesses started in the 1980s. Ending these rules now is a big step toward cutting down complicated approvals and supporting business growth in Delhi. Many business owners had found the old system to be slow and confusing. Now, this change is being seen as a win for them.
Kant also mentioned that this decision supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of improving daily life for people and boosting the economy. Still, some experts believe that to truly help India grow, other states need to make similar changes soon.
As per the official order from June 19, approved by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, hotels, motels, guesthouses, restaurants, discotheques, amusement parks, swimming pools, video game centres, and auditoriums in Delhi do not need a police license or a no-objection certificate anymore.
However, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also made it clear that while the police license is no longer needed, these businesses still have to get permissions from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Delhi Cantonment Board.