Nearly a year after the former Lieutenant Governor announced the removal of health trade licences for restaurants as part of the ease of doing business initiative, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday announced that the licensing system will continue, but in a revised form. Read on to know more about it.
Delhi Hotels Need FSSAI & Health Trade Licences
As per a report by the Hindustan Times, companies may have to provide a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certification by paying the licensing fee. The civic officials also stated that by adding hotels, restaurants and similar businesses, they will continue to require a health trade licence. A proposal regarding the revised regime has been moved by the public health department and will require approval from the deliberative wing.
In comparison, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) also announced back on January 21 that there would be no need for separate licences apart from FSSAI and GST registrations. MCD’s move will inevitably end up in two different licensing regimes in the city, one in MCD areas and another in NDMC areas. An official told the portal that the health trade licensing was not being eliminated because its main aim is the prevention and control of transmitted diseases and the maintenance of public health.
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MCD Clarifies On The Current Regime
So the authorities decided to modify the current regime, in which restaurants will be able to obtain an FSSAI certificate and use that to submit an application for a health trade licence. They will also have to pay the MCD licensing fee. The FSSAI certificate will verify that an inspection at the time of application is not required. Another official managing the process told the news portal that around 97 types of trades fall under the MCD’s health trade licence regime, including restaurants, hotels and coffee houses.
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Out of these, 17 types of trades will be transferred to the general trade licensing regime. Additionally, MCD has already combined general trade licensing with property tax. The remaining 80 trades, including hotels and restaurants, will continue under the modified health trade licence (HTL) regime. The restaurant and hospitality industry has long proposed that the FSSAI certificate, which has a related purpose, should remove the need for a separate health trade licence.
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Cover Image Courtesy: Internal
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