Kerala Assembly clears the SARAL Bill, shifting licence power from departments to a single approval body

29 October 2026

The Kerala Legislative Assembly has passed the SARAL Bill, which sets up a single centralised route for the approvals and licences an investor needs. The power to issue those licences moves out of the individual departments and into the new approval bodies, the stated aim being fewer delays. This is a change from K-SWIFT, the online single-window system Kerala has been using. Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty told the House that the existing three-tier committee will have no role once the Bill is in force. For projects between ₹25 crore and ₹50 crore, a committee led by the District Collector is to decide within 75 days, and a proposal is treated as sound if the Agriculture Officer or other authority raises nothing in seven days. The Opposition left the House, and an amendment moved by ruling-side MLA G. Sudhakaran was rejected. Certain central bodies and laws on groundwater and mining will still need longer scrutiny.