Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday invited industrialists to invest in Delhi, pointing out that he has simplified getting government permissions “within minutes” and “that too online”.
While addressing the inaugural event of the two-day Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata, Kejriwal admitted that in India doing business was difficult due to the red tape. He said that was why after his Aam Aadmi Party came to power in February last year with a landslide victory he has simplify procedural formalities required for doing business in Delhi.
Kejriwal also announced that he would soon organise a business summit in Delhi.
“The more I get deeper into governance, I realise how difficult it is to do business in the country. Nani yaad aa jati hai (one gets nightmares). Don’t know how you are managing. Go to any government department, without bribe no work gets done,” Kejriwal, who shared the stage with union finance minister Arun Jaitley, said.
“The status now is such that even after giving the money, the work is not done. This has to be changed,” he said.
Kejriwal admitted that the system had been too complicated.
“We have too much complicated the system. The event management industry in the last 10 years has moved out of Delhi because one needed to go around 27 government departments for permissions to organise a single event,” he said. “Now we have simplified things. You don’t have to submit affidavits to take certificates. After talking to event industry stakeholders, we have now changed all the laws and now you can get the permission within minutes, that too online.”
Kejriwal called upon industrialists to let him know about their problems they faced in doing business in Delhi and he would sort them out.
“We will soon organise a business summit in Delhi. Come and invest in Delhi. We are now simplifying the procedures, but we need more help from you,” he said. “Please tell me what difficulties you are facing in doing business in Delhi. The time you take in telling me your problems, I can assure you, we will take less than that in resolving those.”