Madhya Pradesh Assembly passes Jan Vishwas Bill to simplify regulations, decriminalise minor offences
BHOPAL: Taking a cue from the Centre’s Jan Vishwas Act, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed a landmark legislation introduced by the Mohan Yadav-led government, aiming to foster trust-based governance, simplify regulations, and decriminalise minor offences by industries and traders.
The state government introduced the Madhya Pradesh Jan Vishwas (Provisions Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Assembly aims to decriminalise minor offences, modernise punitive measures, and simplify compliance mechanisms across various state laws.
The initiative aligns with the national focus on fostering good governance and economic growth through the modernisation of outdated laws and the reduction of regulatory burdens, which have long hindered business activities and entrepreneurship, an official said.
Madhya Pradesh draws inspiration from the Centre, a transformative step that amended 42 central laws across 19 ministries and departments. The Act decriminalised 183 provisions, rationalized penalties, and simplified compliance procedures. The state has consistently ranked among the top states in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and was recently recognized under the ‘Top Achievers’ category in the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2022 rankings.
To bolster the business ecosystem, the state has taken significant steps to reduce compliance burdens. Under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) initiative, Madhya Pradesh eliminated 2,483 regulatory requirements across 37 departments, including 831 business-related and 1,622 citizen-related processes.
The state scrapped 920 outdated laws, removed 67 minor offence provisions, and amended 64 provisions across eight laws. Initiatives like GIS-based land allotment, Cyber Tehsil, and Samvida 2.0 enhance governance. Reforms simplify regulations, decriminalise minor offences, streamline compliance, and focus on economic growth, investment, administrative efficiency, and reduced judicial burden.
