April 03, New Delhi — Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, in an effort to simplify governance and make it more citizen-friendly.
The Bill reflects the government's commitment to trust-based regulation, reducing the compliance burden on individuals and businesses while promoting ease of living across the country.
Under the new law, 784 provisions across 79 central Acts administered by 23 Ministries have been amended. Of these, 717 provisions have been decriminalized to support businesses, while 67 provisions have been tweaked to make life easier for ordinary citizens.
Many minor offenses will now be removed or replaced with proportionate penalties, creating a regulatory environment that is simpler, fairer, and more predictable.
The changes affect a wide range of laws. For example, under the Reserve Bank of India Act, minor auditor offenses will no longer attract penalties, while certain provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act now impose fines instead of imprisonment for first-time violations.
Similarly, under the Electricity Act, minor violations will attract fines instead of jail terms, with mandatory compounding introduced for first-time offenses.
Even day-to-day civic issues are addressed: misuse of public water in the NDMC area will now attract civil penalties rather than criminal fines, expired driving licences will have a 30-day grace period, and property tax calculations have been simplified for fairness.
The Jan Vishwas Amendment, 2026, is expected to make compliance easier for businesses, reduce unnecessary legal hassles for citizens, and bring governance closer to the people, while maintaining accountability and transparency.