The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is working on about 100 rules and laws of various departments of government to bring Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill to achieve a greater ease of doing business environment in the country. The work is being done as the priority area under the first 100-day thrust of the present government. To support the “Make in India” initiative, the Government of India has enacted the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023. With the primary objective of decriminalising minor offences across 42 Central Acts, the Act eliminates 183 criminal provisions across 19 Ministries/Departments.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee, which reviewed the Jan Vishwas Bill, has recommended extending the exercise to further Acts, ensuring the continuous modernization of India's regulatory framework.The Jan Vishwas Act introduces civil penalties and administrative actions for minor technical and procedural lapses, reducing the fear of criminal penalties and enhancing the ease of doing business and living in the country.

A key objective of the Jan Vishwas Act is to remove outdated provisions that no longer serve the evolving technological and business environment. This comprehensive reform not only saves time and costs for both the government and the judiciary but also fosters a more conducive environment for businesses and entrepreneurs by reducing unnecessary legal hurdles.

The Act, passed by the Lok Sabha on July 27, 2023, and the Rajya Sabha on August 2, 2023, with presidential assent on August 11, 2023,  aims to promote trust in businesses and citizens, streamline legal processes, and ease the burden on the judiciary. The decriminalisation effort ensures that penalties are proportionate to the severity of offences while maintaining stringent punishments for serious violations. This is a major step towards aligning India’s regulatory framework with global business standards, promoting investor confidence, and facilitating smoother business operations.

Decriminalisation of minor offences boosts ease of doing business by replacing criminal penalties with civil sanctions. Decriminalisation of minor regulatory breaches under an expanded Jan Vishwas initiative converts selected criminal offences into civil penalties and administrative actions, removing obsolete provisions and reducing legal and judicial burdens while maintaining strict penalties for serious violations to promote ease of doing business and investor confidence.