Lok Sabha to take up Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill
What's the story
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, will be introduced in the Lok Sabha by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday. The bill seeks to amend over 350 provisions across various laws with an aim to decriminalize and rationalize minor offenses. This move is part of the government's larger effort to improve ease of living and doing business in India.
Trust-based governance
Key features of Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill
The Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill is aimed at enhancing trust-based governance by introducing an "improvement notice" instead of a penalty for first-time offenders. This change from the previous "penalize on first detection" approach of Jan Vishwas 1.0 seeks to promote ease of doing business while maintaining deterrence for repeat violations. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced this initiative in her Budget 2025 speech, aiming to decriminalize over 100 legal provisions.
Law reform
PM Modi's stance on outdated laws
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been vocal about his commitment to abolishing unnecessary laws that impose trivial penalties. In his 79th Independence Day speech, he said, "There are such laws that can put people in jail for very small things — you would be shocked." He emphasized the government's efforts to simplify laws and prioritize public interest by amending dozens of them.
Past initiatives
Progress made by Jan Vishwas 1.0 bill
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment to Provisions) Act, passed in 2023, had already decriminalized 183 provisions across 42 central Acts. This included removing imprisonment and/or fines for certain offenses. For instance, it removed imprisonment for tree felling in protected forests but retained a fine of ₹500. The new bill seeks to build on these efforts by amending more provisions to create a citizen-centric environment in India.