Bill expands reform agenda for Ease of Doing Business

288 provisions decriminalised across 16 Acts

First-time contraventions to attract advisory or warning in 76 cases

Bill Rationalises Minor Penalties, Graduates Penalties for Repeat Offences

The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal today introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 in Lok Sabha. The Bill was earlier approved by the Union Cabinet. The Hon’ble Minister has also requested the Hon’ble Speaker to refer the Bill to the Select Committee. The members of the Committee will be chosen by the Hon’ble Speaker and the Committee shall make a report by the first day of the next Session.

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 11th August 2023, decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments.

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 provisions proposed to be amended to facilitate Ease of Living.

Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 also proposes 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.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 marks a significant milestone in India’s regulatory reform journey. It reflects the Government’s commitment to “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” and will catalyze sustainable economic growth and improved ease of doing business.

Decriminalisation of minor regulatory defaults: shift to administrative penalties and advisory regime to ease compliance and adjudication. The Bill replaces imprisonment for minor, technical, or procedural defaults with monetary penalties or warnings, establishes an advisory or warning regime for first-time contraventions, rationalises penalties with graduated sanctions for repeat offences, empowers designated officers to adjudicate and impose administrative penalties, and provides for automatic periodic revision of fines to preserve deterrence.