The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has suggested setting up a National Land Reform Council—similar in structure to the GST Council—to streamline land-related policies across India. This proposed body would focus on creating uniform stamp duties, simplifying land acquisition, and ensuring faster approvals for projects.
According to CII, inconsistent land rules between states are a major hurdle for investors, especially in the manufacturing sector. Different stamp duties, approval timelines, and land pricing structures often delay projects and increase costs. By introducing a unified approach, CII believes India can attract more domestic and global investors.
The proposed council would bring together the central and state governments to decide on policies collaboratively. It would also address bottlenecks like lengthy legal disputes and outdated land records.
CII President R. Dinesh emphasized that manufacturing is key to India’s economic growth, and better land policies could significantly boost the sector. He pointed out that industries need faster access to land to meet increasing global supply chain demands.
Uniform stamp duty could also make property transactions more transparent and predictable for businesses, ultimately benefiting infrastructure, real estate, and logistics sectors.
If implemented, experts believe the reform could help India compete more effectively with manufacturing hubs like Vietnam and Indonesia, both of which offer simpler land policies.