The government has introduced the Jan Vishwas Amendment of Provisions Bill 2025, also called Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0, in the Lok Sabha. The bill focuses on decriminalising minor offences, reducing fear of jail for small mistakes, and making governance more citizen-friendly.
This is the second step after the Jan Vishwas Act 2023, which had decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central laws. The new version goes further by amending 355 provisions across 16 central laws. Out of these, 288 will be decriminalised for ease of doing business and 67 for ease of living.
The main idea is to replace jail terms for small or technical violations with monetary fines or warnings. For first-time violators in 76 cases, authorities will issue an improvement notice instead of punishment. Only repeated offences will invite penalties, which will gradually increase. Fines will also rise by 10 percent every three years to keep them effective without requiring frequent legal changes.
The bill covers many sectors. In the Motor Vehicles Act, vehicle registration will become state-wide instead of district-specific, license renewal will get a 30-day grace period, and tribunals will get more time to handle delayed claims. In the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, property tax will move to a transparent Unit Area Method linked to property size, usage, and location. In the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, unintentional errors, such as mistakes in Ayurvedic drug sales, will no longer bring jail terms but fines.
The bill also empowers officers to handle violations through administrative processes instead of overburdening courts. This will save time and reduce unnecessary litigation.
The bill was tabled amid opposition protests in Parliament but has been referred to a Select Committee for detailed review. Its report is expected in the next session.
By introducing this bill, the government aims to promote trust-based governance and continue its agenda of Minimum Government, Maximum Governance. It builds on earlier efforts of removing outdated laws and unnecessary compliances, making India’s regulatory framework simpler and more business-friendly.
