The Union government on Monday introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, marking a step towards simplifying India’s regulatory framework and enhancing ease of doing business.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal tabled the Bill, which proposes amendments to over 300 provisions across multiple laws, aiming to decriminalise minor offences and foster more trust-based governance mode.
Building on the foundation laid by the Jan Vishwas Act of 2023, which has decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central Acts, the new Bill, dubbed Jan Vishwas 2.0, seeks to further reduce the compliance burden for individuals, startups, and businesses.
A key feature of the legislation is the introduction of improvement notices for first-time violations, replacing immediate penalties with an opportunity to rectify non-compliance. Penalties will only be imposed from the second offence onwards, maintaining deterrence while encouraging voluntary compliance.
Following its introduction, the Bill was referred to a select committee of the Lok Sabha for detailed scrutiny. The committee is expected to submit its report by the first day of the next parliamentary session. The move is part of the government’s broader initiative to modernise India’s legal landscape by eliminating outdated penal provisions and streamlining regulations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi , in his Independence Day address, emphasised the need to abolish archaic laws that impose harsh penalties for trivial infractions, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to citizen centric reforms.
Officials have described the exercise as key to improving India’s investment climate and aligning the regulatory framework with the government’s vision for a “Viksit Bharat by 2047”.
