New Delhi, March 27 – The government on Friday introduced the second edition of the Jan Vishwas bill in the Lok Sabha, seeking to amend certain provisions to decriminalize a range of minor offenses, aiming to simplify business operations. This move was met with objections from Congress members.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, proposed by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, seeks to amend 79 central acts administered by 23 ministries.
The bill proposes to decriminalize a total of 784 provisions, with 717 provisions aimed at simplifying business operations and 67 provisions intended to facilitate ease of living.
During the introduction, Congress members K Kavya and GK Padavi opposed the bill, arguing that it infringes upon the fundamental structure of the Indian Constitution by replacing imprisonment with fines for violations.
Padavi urged the government to resubmit the bill to a select committee or a joint parliamentary committee.
"This is an administrative oversight... the bill is arbitrary and encourages corruption, and it should be reexamined," Padavi said, adding that a dissenting note has also been included in the select committee report.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla sought clarification on whether a bill can be resubmitted to a parliamentary panel.
Kiren Rijiju, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, stated that there is no provision for resubmitting the bill to the parliamentary committee for review, and that there is no precedent for doing so.
In response to the Congress's objections, Prasada clarified that only minor, procedural offenses are proposed to be replaced with fines.
He emphasized that major violations and serious offenses remain unchanged, and that the reform process has been carefully designed to exclude critical areas such as national security, labor courts, armed forces, and international obligations.
"These areas are not covered by this bill," Prasada stated, adding that extensive consultations have been held regarding the bill's provisions.
He explained that Parliament has the authority to amend the Constitution, and the bill aims to make minor changes to existing legislation.
Prasada added that the bill will enhance ease of doing business and living by decriminalizing minor offenses and implementing measures such as revising fines and penalties proportionate to the offense, and establishing appellate authorities.
"It proposes to amend 79 central acts, administered by 23 ministries (including coal, commerce, consumer affairs, defence, finance, health, home, heavy industries, and mines), or a total of 784 provisions, are being proposed to be amended, out of which 717 provisions are being decriminalised to promote ease of doing business and 67 provisions are proposed to facilitate ease of living," he said.
The bill proposes to remove imprisonment in 57 provisions and fines in 158 provisions. Furthermore, imprisonment is proposed to be reduced in 17 provisions, and imprisonment and fines are proposed to be converted to penalties in 113 provisions.
It also proposes 67 amendments under the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994, and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to facilitate ease of living.
The bill aims to make 20 amendments under the Motor Vehicle Act, with the aim of providing relaxation for certain compliance requirements under the Motor Vehicle Act and resolving legal ambiguities.
These include allowing vehicle registration throughout the state instead of a particular jurisdiction, allowing the renewal of driving licenses from the date of renewal and not from the expiry date, providing a 30-day grace period after the expiry of the license, during which the license remains valid.
The bill also proposes amendments in the RBI Act, 1934; the Insurance Acts, and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act.
Besides, changes have been proposed in the Coal Mines Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act; the Patents Act; the Legal Metrology Act; the Cantonments Act, 2006; the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940; the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; the Pharmacy Act, 1948; the Delhi Police Act; the Electricity Act; and the Railways Act.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the bill "proposes to amend 79 central enactments, aims to decriminalize minor offenses to reduce the compliance burden on businesses, promote ease of doing business and ease of living for citizens by rationalizing processes by...issuing warnings at the first instance of contraventions and imposing penalties for subsequent contraventions".
Overall, the bill seeks to rationalize over 1,000 offenses, removing outdated and redundant provisions to improve the country's regulatory environment.
The bill envisages a shift from criminal penalties for minor, technical, or procedural defaults to civil and administrative enforcement mechanisms.
It proposes replacing certain imprisonment provisions with monetary penalties or warnings; graded enforcement mechanisms, including warnings for first-time contraventions; and rationalizing fines and penalties in proportion to the nature of the offense.
To ensure efficient and time-bound enforcement, the bill also provides for the appointment of adjudicating officers and the establishment of appellate authorities to facilitate the speedy disposal of cases and reduce litigation burden on courts, while ensuring adherence to principles of natural justice.
On March 17, the bill was withdrawn from the Lok Sabha for reintroduction after incorporating recommendations of a select committee.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, on March 18 last year, had introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, and it was referred to the select committee.
This exercise builds on the success of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, the first consolidated legislation to systematically decriminalise minor offences across multiple Acts.
The 2023 Act, notified on August 11, 2023, decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 ministries/departments.