News: The Government introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha aiming to amend 355 provisions across 16 Central Acts to ease their applicability.
About Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025
- The Bill builds on the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which was the first consolidated legislation to decriminalise minor offences across multiple laws.
- The 2023 Act decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 Central Acts administered by 19 ministries and departments.
- Objective of Bill: The 2025 Bill expands this reform agenda to cover 16 Central Acts administered by 10 Ministries/Departments.
- A total of 355 provisions are proposed to be amended — 288 provisions decriminalised to foster Ease of Doing Business, and 67 amendments under New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 (NDMC Act) and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to facilitate Ease of Living.
- Key features of the Bill:
- First-time contraventions: Advisory or warning for 76 offences under 10 Acts.
- Decriminalisation: Imprisonment clauses for minor, technical or procedural defaults replaced with monetary penalties or warnings.
- Rationalisation of penalties: Penalties made proportionate, with graduated penalties for repeated offences.
- Adjudication mechanisms: Designated officers empowered to impose penalties through administrative processes, reducing judicial burden.
- Revision of fines and penalties: Automatic 10% increase every three years to maintain deterrence without legislative amendments.
- Four Acts — the Tea Act, 1953, Legal Metrology Act, 2009, Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 — were part of Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 and are proposed for further decriminalisation under the current Bill.
