New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI) Parliament on Thursday passed a Bill to amend 784 provisions in 79 central laws for decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to further improve business environment and check harassment of people.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, was passed in the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal replied to a discussion on the legislation.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The minister said the legislation will help citizens and MSMEs.

“I believe that there will be no fear in those who make mistakes. There will be fear in those who break the law on purpose. We have tried to bring simplicity by decriminalising all this.

“We have tried to provide protection through adequate civil mechanism. And we have tried to bring swift and proportionate penalties. We have tried to bring swift and proportionate penalties,” he said.

Replying to queries and apprehensions raised by various MPs, the minister said comprehensive consultations were held with different government departments, state government and organisations before bringing the amendments.

The Bill proposes to remove imprisonment in 57 provisions and fines in 158 provisions. Also, imprisonment is proposed to be reduced in 17 provisions, and imprisonment and fine are proposed to be converted to a penalty in 113 provisions.

It also proposes 67 amendments under the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994, and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to facilitate ease of living.

Refuting suggestions that Drugs and Cosmetics Act is being diluted through the Jan Vishwas Bill, he said the amendment is aimed at only making changes in procedural provisions and compliance.

“We should not go to jail or court for a small mistake in procedural compliance… If someone sells spurious drugs, stocks them, imports them, manufactures them, or distributes them, and if the drugs are not approved by the drug controller… a very strict and severe criminal punishment has been imposed on them,” he said.

The minister also rejected Opposition parties’ criticism that the Bill has diluted provisions of legislations related to agriculture and allied sectors, saying the changes will instead protect farmers’ interest.

Goyal also asserted that the Bill does not compromise on women’s safety and said certain changes made in Railway Act are pro-women.

The Bill also seeks to carry out 20 amendments under the Motor Vehicles Act, with an aim to provide relaxation for some compliances under the Motor Vehicles Act and resolve legal ambiguities.

These include allowing vehicle registration throughout the state instead of a particular jurisdiction, allowing the driving licence to be renewed with effect from the date of its renewal and not from the date of its expiry in case applied after expiry, providing a grace period of 30 days after the expiry of the licence, during which the licence shall continue to be effective.

The Bill also proposes amendments in the RBI Act, 1934; the Insurance Acts, and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act.

Besides, changes have been proposed in the Coal Mines Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act; Patents Act; Legal Metrology Act; Cantonments Act, 2006; Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940; Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; Pharmacy Act, 1948; Delhi Police Act; Electricity Act; and Railways Act.

As per the statement of objects and reasons, the Bill “proposes to amend 79 central enactments, aims to decriminalise minor offences to reduce the compliance burden on businesses, promote ease of doing business and ease of living for citizens by rationalising processes by… issuing warnings at the first instance of contraventions and imposing penalties for subsequent contraventions”.

Overall, the Bill seeks to rationalise more than 1,000 offences, removing outdated and redundant provisions to improve the country’s regulatory environment.

The Bill envisages a shift from criminal penalties for minor, technical, or procedural defaults to civil and administrative enforcement mechanisms.

It has been proposed to replace certain imprisonment provisions with monetary penalties or warnings; graded enforcement mechanisms, including warnings for first-time contraventions; and rationalisation of fines and penalties in proportion to the nature of the offence.

To ensure efficient and time-bound enforcement, the Bill also provides for the appointment of adjudicating officers and the establishment of appellate authorities to facilitate the speedy disposal of cases and reduce litigation burden on courts, while ensuring adherence to principles of natural justice.

On March 17, 2026 the Bill was withdrawn from the Lok Sabha for reintroduction after incorporating recommendations of a select committee.

On March 18, 2025, Goyal had introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. Later it was referred to the select committee.

The 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 August 11, 2023, decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 ministries/departments. PTI PRS KRH NKD MJH SKC TRB