Jan Vishwas 2.0 Bill introduced in LS, seeks to decriminalise 288 provisions

The government on Monday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to decriminalise as many as 288 provisions relating to minor offences under different laws with a view to promote ease of living and improve business climate.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal Monday introduced the Jan Vishwas Bill (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 which proposes doing away with imprisonment for continuing or repeated offences for furnishing any false statement under The Central Silk Board Act, 1948 and relaxation for compliances for citizens under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The bill seeks to simplify 355 provisions - 288 provisions decriminalised to foster ease of doing business and 67 provisions proposed to be amended to facilitate ease of living.

Various provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961, Central Silk Board Act, 1948 and Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950, among others, are covered in the proposed legislation.

The bill was earlier approved by the cabinet.

"The 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 Speaker and the committee shall make a report by the first day of the next session," the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.

In the Apprentices Act, 1961, 11 offences such as employer requiring an apprentice to work overtime without the approval of apprenticeship adviser and refusal to furnish information or return, employing apprentice for work which is not connected to his or her training, which are currently punishable with a fine of ₹1,000, are proposed to be converted to advisory for the first contravention and with censure or warning or penalty for every subsequent contravention.

In The Central Silk Board Act, 1948, the ministry has proposed that the imprisonment of up to one year and fine up to ₹1,000 be converted to only warning for the first instance of contravention and penalty (₹25,000-1 lakh) for continuing or repeated offences for furnishing any false statement.

Fine of up to ₹5,000 is proposed to be converted to warning for the first instance of contravention and penalty for subsequent contravention for failure to furnish any return or furnishing a false report, under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985.

Similar easing is proposed in the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950.

The bill also proposes 67 amendments under New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 (NDMC Act) and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to facilitate ease of living, according to the statement.

Forty-seven provisions are sought to be amended under the NDMC Act, replacing the rateable value method of property tax with unit Area method (UAM) and introducing a transparent and formula-based system linked to property size, usage and location to simplify assessment, reduce discretion and enhance compliance.

Similarly, 20 provisions are proposed to be amended under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to provide relaxation and clarity in compliance including state-wide vehicle registration instead of jurisdiction-specific, driving licence renewal effective from date of renewal if applied after expiry.