Govt introduces Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill in Lok Sabha, refers to Select Committee

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, which seeks to decriminalise certain minor offences to promote ease of living and business, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday and referred to a Select Committee.

Introducing the bill, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the bill seeks to enhance trust-based governance for ease of doing business.

The Bill was then referred to the Select Committee of the Lok Sabha. The committee has been tasked to submit its report to the House by the first day of the next session of Parliament.

The Bill was introduced amid din as Opposition parties protested, demanding a discussion on the voter rolls revision in Bihar and other issues.

A total of 355 provisions are proposed to be amended through this Bill. It includes 288 provisions decriminalised to foster ease of doing business, and 67 to facilitate ease of living.

It also proposes 67 amendments under the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 (NDMC Act) and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The legislation is part of the government's efforts to enhance the country's business climate.

In 2023, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment to Provisions) Act was enacted, which decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 central Acts, administered by 19 ministries and departments.

The 2025 Bill expands this reform agenda to cover 16 central acts administered by 10 ministries and departments.

Key features of the bill include advisory or warning for 76 offences under 10 acts; imprisonment clauses for minor, technical or procedural defaults replaced with monetary penalties or warnings; penalties made proportionate, with graduated penalties for repeated offences; designated officers empowered to impose penalties through administrative processes, reducing judicial burden; and automatic 10 per cent 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 the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 and are proposed for further decriminalisation under the current Bill.

According to an official, the proposal in this Bill is to remove imprisonment and/or fines.

Imprisonment and fine are proposed to be removed in three provisions; fine removed in 33 provisions; imprisonment removed, fine retained in 14 provisions; imprisonment removed, fine enhanced in 4 provisions; imprisonment reduced, fine enhanced in 2 rules; and imprisonment/fine converted to penalty/notice in a number of norms.

The 2025 bill also proposes 67 amendments under the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 (NDMC Act) and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to facilitate Ease of Living.

In NDMC law, the bill proposes replacing the rateable value method of property tax with the Unit Area Method, introducing a transparent and formula-based system linked to property size, usage and location.

"This will simplify assessment, reduce discretion, and enhance compliance," the official said.

Similarly, in the Motor Vehicles Act, the bill proposed to provide relaxation and clarity in compliance, including state-wide vehicle registration instead of jurisdiction-specific; driving licence renewal effective from the date of renewal if applied after expiry; a grace period of 30 days after licence expiry; and claims tribunals empowered to condone filing delays up to 12 months.