New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday launched a dedicated portal enabling the complete online renewal of Fire Safety Certificates.

Calling the initiative an important milestone in advancing transparent and technology-driven governance, the Chief Minister said it would greatly strengthen the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ environment in the national capital.

The Chief Minister inaugurated the Portal for Online Renewal of Fire Safety Certificate at the Delhi Secretariat in the presence of Delhi’s Home and Education Minister, Ashish Sood, and senior officials of the Delhi Fire Service (DFS).

Developed jointly by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the Delhi Government, the portal modernises and streamlines the fire safety renewal process in a fundamental way, said an official statement.

The Chief Minister noted that over the past eight months, the Delhi government has introduced several historic reforms benefitting traders, citizens, and institutions across the city.

Processes relating to fire permits, licensing, and other statutory approvals have been simplified, made more transparent, and integrated through a single-window mechanism, she said.

Earlier, multiple agencies were involved, resulting in procedural delays and inconvenience. Clear departmental accountability has now been established, and responsibility for issuing the final certificate rests with the designated authority.

She further emphasised that to ensure maximum transparency, departmental file-processing has been made fully digital.

Citizens can now track the real-time status of their applications, including the officer handling the file, pendency duration, and stage of scrutiny.

Calling the new renewal portal a major administrative reform, the Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Digital India’ is elevating governance across the nation.

In alignment with that vision, the Delhi government remains committed to delivering a ‘Digital Delhi’ where services are faceless, transparent, and technology-driven.

Highlighting the ease of digital adoption even among small vendors and rickshaw pullers, she said the governance system must evolve at the same pace to remain citizen-friendly and modern. CM Gupta reaffirmed that citizen safety, simplified services, and transparent administration remain the government’s highest priorities.

Speaking on the occasion, Delhi’s Home Minister Ashish Sood said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the nation is progressing with the guiding principle of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.”

The objective is to make governance simpler, more efficient, and empowering for citizens.

He said the new portal exemplifies this vision by enabling hassle-free, transparent renewal of Fire Clearance Certificates for residential and commercial establishments once their three-year (commercial) or five-year (residential) validity expires.

–IANS

rch/uk