Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill in the works to further improve ease of doing business by decriminalising minor offences

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is working on around 100 rules and laws of various government departments to bring in the Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill for improving the ease of doing business in India, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry announced in its press statement on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

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What is the Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill?

The Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill comes after the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which came into effect on August 11 of that year, to decriminalise and rationalise certain minor offences across 42 central acts and improve the ease of living and doing business.

The Act also eliminated 183 criminal provisions across 19 ministries/departments.

One of the main objectives of the Act was to remove outdated provisions in the law that no longer serve the evolving technological and business environment, especially in a global context.

However, the government stresses on the fact that the decriminalisation effort still ensures penalties proportionate to the severity of offences, while also handing out stringent punishments for serious violations.

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The whole decriminalisation effort is mainly to save time and costs for the government, reduce unnecessary burdens on the judiciary, and make legal compliance easier for businesses, by reducing unnecessary legal hurdles.

The government announced in its press statement that the work on the new bill is being done as a “priority area under the first 100-day thrust of the present government.”

The Jan Vishwas 2.0 bill comes after the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which reviewed the Jan Vishwas Bill, recommended extending it to further Acts, with the aim of continued modernization of India’s regulatory framework.

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