new delhi: 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,” 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.