CII Unveils Land Reform Blueprint to Boost India's Manufacturing Competitiveness

In its latest report, titled "CII Land Mission: Framework to Reform Industrial Land Management in India," the industry body emphasized that efficient and transparent access to land is critical for reducing project gestation periods and positioning India as a competitive global manufacturing hub.

The formulation of the report was led by T. V. Narendran, Past President of CII, and involved extensive consultations across various sectors to identify practical challenges and actionable solutions for land management.

The report identified industrial land as a foundational input for manufacturing, infrastructure, and logistics, yet noted that the current landscape is characterized by fragmented processes and regulatory complexity. These systemic issues, including unclear land titles and delayed possession, significantly increased the cost of capital and undermined investor confidence, particularly for small businesses and greenfield investments.

By assessing the entire lifecycle of industrial land, from identification to post-allocation utilization, CII highlighted the urgent need for standardized documentation and the elimination of multiple departmental touchpoints.

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, stated that "India's manufacturing ambitions under Make in India, National Industrial Corridors, renewable energy expansion, and modern logistics cannot be realised unless industrial land becomes predictable, transparent, and investment ready. The CII Land Mission provides a practical, implementation-oriented framework that respects social safeguards while enhancing time efficiency, predictability and coordination across the land value chain."

A key recommendation within the roadmap was the creation of a unified, GIS-enabled National Industrial Land Bank. The platform is intended to offer real-time information on land availability, zoning status, and title clarity, enabling investors to make informed decisions more quickly.

Additionally, the report advocated for a fully integrated digital single-window system for applications. This system would consolidate approvals, introduce clear service-level agreements, and assign designated case owners to reduce inter-departmental delays.

T. V. Narendran, Chairman, CII Land Mission and Past President CII, stated that "The challenge in industrial land is not only acquisition, but readiness and utilisation. Even after allotment, projects get stuck due to possession issues, infrastructure gaps, unclear titles, and prolonged downstream approvals. The Land Mission proposals focus on end-to-end reform, right from clean land banks and faster acquisition to utilisation norms, dispute resolution, and institutional accountability."

The industry body also drew attention to the wide variation in stamp duty and registration charges across different states, which often distorted investment decisions. To address this, the report suggested a uniform, nationally guided stamp duty for industrial land to improve predictability.

To mitigate legal risks, the CII further recommended the nationwide digitisation of land records and the introduction of title insurance. At the institutional level, the proposal included the establishment of a National Industrial Land Council, modelled on the GST framework, to harmonize regulations and monitor implementation across the country.

- ANI