Patna: The state govt is working to ease administrative regulations and liberalise rules to create a more business-friendly environment and improve ease of doing business in Bihar, a high-level review meeting held here on Tuesday was informed.Special secretary in the Centre’s Cabinet Secretariat K K Pathak and chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit jointly reviewed the status of measures taken by the state towards deregulation and ease of doing business.The meeting discussed the draft Building Bylaws 2026, prepared to facilitate business and infrastructure development, and the Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026. Progress under the state’s Deregulation 1.0 and 2.0 initiatives was also reviewed, along with implementation of agreements reached between the Centre and state govt in priority sectors.Officials said the draft building bylaws, prepared in line with the deregulation initiatives, seek to address issues related to building construction approvals, reduce restrictions affecting commercial land and promote mixed-use development.The draft also proposes self-certification for low-risk buildings and third-party inspection for medium-risk buildings.The meeting was informed that the state legislature has already passed the Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026. The legislation removes the requirement of dual licensing for industries and provides for MSMEs to obtain certain approvals through self-declaration, along with safeguards against routine inspections, officials said.A unified digital repository portal (bihar.gov.in) became operational on June 19 and has so far hosted 2,000 documents, the meeting was informed. The auto-appeal mechanism under the Right to Public Services Act also received cabinet approval and became operational on June 23.The govt has also removed the requirement for commercial land-use conversion in certain cases, with a view to providing relief to landowners. Work is also underway on a unified health licensing portal, while the Chief Minister’s Homestay Incentive Policy, 2026, has been framed to promote tourism.Following discussions at the meeting, the fire services department was directed to revise its existing rules to align them with the proposed Building Bylaws 2026 and the Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026.The meeting also highlighted the need to further liberalise rules governing homestays.
