Jan Vishwas 2.0 – Towards Trust-Based Governance

Jan Vishwas 2.0 Latest News

• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, also dubbed as Jan Vishwas 2.0, was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha.
• The new Bill is an extension of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (decriminalised 183 provisions in 42 Acts), and aims to amend 16 Central Acts (administered by 10 ministries/departments) to decriminalise and rationalise some offences and penalties. 
• This means the Bill  further enhances trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business.

Background – Need for Jan Vishwas 2.0

• Overcriminalisation in Indian laws:

• • According to the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, 370 of the 882 central laws have criminal provisions for 7,305 crimes. 
  • Over 75% of all crimes are defined under laws that regulate areas beyond core criminal justice, such as shipping, taxation, financial institutions, and municipal governance.
• Disproportionate punishments: For example, arrest is possible for trivial acts like milking a cow on the street or not exercising a pet dog, violating the principle of proportionality in crime and punishment.

• Hindrance to business: 

• • According to an Observer Research Foundation’s (ORF) 2022 report –
    • Of 1,536 business laws, over 50% carry imprisonment clauses.
    • Of 69,233 compliances, 37.8% entail jail terms.
  • Imprisonment clauses deter entrepreneurship, job creation, GDP growth.

• Burden on judiciary:

• • According to the National Judicial Data Grid, currently there are over 3.6 crore pending criminal cases in India’s district courts, over 2.3 crore of which are more than 1 year old.
  • Minor procedural lapses clog courts, delaying justice for serious offences.

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Provisions of the Jan Vishwas Bill 2025

• Scope of amendments: The 2025 Bill proposes amending 355 provisions – 288 provisions decriminalised to foster ease of doing business, and 67 provisions proposed to be amended to facilitate ease of living.
• Covers 16 Acts including: RBI Act 1934, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, Motor Vehicles Act 1988, Electricity Act 2003, Legal Metrology Act 2009, MSME Act 2006, etc.

Key Features of the Bill

• First-time offenders: 
  • Warning and improvement notice introduced for 76 offences under 10 Acts.
  • For example, non-standard weights and measures, earlier drew a penalty of ₹1 lakh, but now provides for improvement notice with rectification timeline.

• Removal of imprisonment clauses:

• • Minor procedural or technical defaults no longer attract jail terms.
  • For instance, it proposes a fine (between Rs 10,000 and Rs 10 lakh) instead of the existing three-month imprisonment for non-compliance with orders under the Electricity Act 2023.

• Rationalisation of penalties:

• • For example, an automatic 10% increase in penalty every 3 years ensures deterrence without fresh amendments.
  • Focus is on financial penalties rather than incarceration.

Government’s Rationale for Jan Vishwas 2.0

• To build on “minimum government, maximum governance” philosophy.
• To support Make in India, Ease of Doing Business, and judicial reforms.
• To reiterate the government’s commitment to remove “unnecessary and outdated laws” that criminalise trivial acts.

Conclusion

• The Bill is under review by a Select Committee of Lok Sabha, and report is expected in the next parliamentary session.
• If enacted, the Jan Vishwas 2.0 could reduce pendency in courts, enhance trust between state and citizens, and strengthen India’s image as a business-friendly destination.

Source: IE