(1) This Act may be called the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020.
(2) It shall come into force on and with effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, -
(a) 'Approval' means acknowledgment, no objection certificate, consent, registration, permission, license and such other similar instrument by whatever name called, 2[required under any law] with regard to the establishment or operations of an enterprise in the State of Punjab;
(b) “Approved Industrial Park” means an Industrial Area, Industrial Focal Point, Industrial Estate, Mixed–use Industrial Park, 1 Substituted for words “newly incorporated Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises” by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 2 2 Substituted for words “required under any Punjab law” by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3(i) Short title and commencement.
Definitions.
Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Textile Park, Biotech Park, Information Technology (IT) Park, Industrial Township, Growth Centre, Food-Processing Park or any other similar project approved by the competent authority of the Government or the Central Government, as the case may be;
(c) "Certificate of In Principle Approval "means an approval referred to in section 10 of this Act;
1[(ca) “CRO Report” means duly approved report for the proposed project from the concerned Circle Revenue Officer as notified by the Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation;]
(d) “Competent Authority” means any department or agency of the Government or a local authority, statutory body, State owned corporation or board, Urban Development Authorities or any other authority or agency constituted or 2[established by any law] or under administrative control of the Government which is entrusted with the powers or responsibilities to grant or issue approvals for the establishment or operation of an enterprise in the State;
(e) “Declaration of Intent” means submission of relevant and accurate information, by 3[an enterprise under any law] for the purpose of availing of the benefit under this Act;
(f) “Deemed Approval” means an approval deemed to have been given on the expiry of a period specified under sub-section(3)of section 10 of this Act;
(g) 'District Bureau of Enterprise' means the Bureau established under section 3 of this Act;
1 Inserted by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3(ii) 2 Substituted for words “established by any Punjab law” by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3(iii) 3 Substituted for words “an enterprise under any Punjab law” by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3 (iv) 1[(ga) "Eligible Enterprise" means a new Enterprise or Existing Enterprise undertaking expansion provided the Enterprise going for expansion does not have any violations under the relevant Act;but Eligible Enterprise shall not include Real Estate Projects, Multiplex, Miniplex, Shopping Mall and Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) Installations;]
2[(h) “Enterprise” means a micro, small or medium enterprise, as defined in clause (e) of section2 of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006;or large enterprise with Fixed Capital Investment (land, building and plant and machinery) up to the limit as may be notified by the Government;]
3[(ha) “Existing Enterprise" means an Enterprise that has commenced commercial production or operations at the time of submitting the Declaration of Intent;]
(i) “Government” means the “Government of the State of Punjab;
4[(ia) “law” means any law enacted or adopted by the Legislature of the State of Punjab, or enacted by the Parliament of India and the Rules made or Notifications issued thereunder;]
(j) “Nodal Agency” means the Nodal Agency referred to in section 5 of this Act;
(k) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
5[(l) “Real Estate Projects” means any commercial complexes or colony or project where permission under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995 is required and/or projects exempted under section 44 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995;]
1Substituted by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3 (v) 2Substituted by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3 (vi) 3Inserted by Punjab Act No. 1 of 2022, Section 2 4Inserted by Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3(vii) 5Substitutedby Punjab Act No. 14 of 2025, Section 3(viii)
(m) “Scrutiny Committee” means the committee referred to in section 9 of this Act; and
(n) "State" means the State of Punjab.