14-MAR-2026, 11:31 AM, Parliament’s Budget Session entered an important phase in March as lawmakers continued work on legislative and policy reforms, with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 emerging as one of the significant reform measures under discussion.
The Select Committee examining the legislation submitted its report to the Lok Sabha on March 13, 2026, recommending wider changes to provisions across multiple Central laws. The revised Bill seeks to reduce criminal penalties for several minor and procedural violations while introducing civil penalties and administrative mechanisms in their place.
The development came after Parliament resumed its Budget Session on March 9 following a recess. During the second half of the session, several Bills were introduced, including the Jan Vishwas Bill, the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill.
What Is the Jan Vishwas Bill?
The Jan Vishwas legislation is aimed at reducing the use of criminal penalties for minor regulatory and procedural violations.
The government has argued that such reforms can improve the ease of doing business and ease of living by ensuring that relatively minor violations do not automatically result in criminal proceedings.
The latest version of the Bill proposes amendments to 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries, covering 784 provisions.
Of these provisions, 717 are proposed for decriminalisation, while another 67 provisions are aimed at improving ease of living.
The proposal represents a wider expansion from the legislation originally introduced for consideration.
Select Committee Expands the Scope
The Select Committee played an important role in examining the proposed changes.
The committee held 49 sittings before submitting its report to the Lok Sabha on March 13.
It examined the original proposals as well as additional provisions identified for possible reform.
According to the government, the committee examined 288 provisions and proposed amendments covering an additional 62 Acts for decriminalisation. The recommendations were then considered alongside consultations with ministries and departments.
The expanded approach means that the Bill now covers a much wider range of legislation than the original proposal.
What Decriminalisation Means
Decriminalisation does not necessarily mean that a violation will have no consequences.
Instead, certain offences that previously carried imprisonment or criminal fines could be handled through civil penalties, warnings or administrative action.
The objective is to make enforcement more proportionate to the seriousness of the violation.
For businesses, this can potentially reduce the risk of criminal proceedings over technical or procedural mistakes.
For citizens, the changes could also mean that some minor violations are handled through administrative mechanisms instead of criminal cases.
Examples of Proposed Changes
The Bill covers laws across a wide range of sectors.
Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, one proposed change would replace imprisonment of up to six months for failure to disclose certain manufacturing or storage information with a higher monetary penalty.
Changes have also been proposed under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
Certain minor civic violations, including some offences involving hawking without a licence, obstruction of municipal authorities and sanitation-related violations, would be shifted towards civil penalties or removed where provisions are considered outdated.
The proposed changes also extend to the Apprentices Act, 1961.
Some procedural violations would follow a graduated enforcement approach involving an advisory for a first contravention, a warning for a second and monetary penalties for repeated violations.
Impact on Businesses
One of the key objectives behind the reforms is to improve the business environment.
Businesses often have to comply with numerous Central and state regulations, and procedural mistakes can sometimes result in penalties or legal proceedings.
By replacing criminal consequences for minor violations with civil or administrative penalties, the government expects the regulatory environment to become more predictable.
The changes are particularly relevant for businesses that operate across multiple sectors and need to comply with several different laws.
However, the actual impact will depend on how the revised provisions are implemented and enforced.
Impact on Citizens
The proposed reforms are not limited to businesses.
The Bill also includes changes intended to reduce the possibility of criminal proceedings for certain everyday violations.
One example cited by the government relates to the Railways Act, 1989.
Refusing to vacate a berth reserved for another passenger previously attracted a criminal fine. Under the proposed changes, such a violation would instead attract a civil penalty of up to ₹1,000.
The government says such measures are intended to make enforcement more proportionate while continuing to discourage violations.
Parliament’s Wider Legislative Agenda
The Jan Vishwas Bill was only one part of the legislative activity during the second half of the Budget Session.
The session resumed on March 9 after its recess.
According to PRS Legislative Research, five Bills had been introduced in the second half of the session at the time of its March review. These included the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, Central Armed Police Forces (Amendment) Bill, Jan Vishwas Bill and Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill.
The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further examination, while the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament later in the session.
This shows that Parliament’s March legislative agenda involved reforms across several areas, including corporate regulation, criminal-law provisions and social legislation.
Why the Reforms Matter
The broader policy objective behind the Jan Vishwas approach is to reduce unnecessary criminalisation while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Supporters of such reforms argue that minor procedural violations should not carry the same consequences as serious offences.
Moving these violations to civil or administrative mechanisms could reduce the burden on courts and enforcement agencies.
At the same time, effective implementation will remain important.
If penalties are too low or enforcement becomes inconsistent, the reforms may not provide the intended deterrent effect.
The final impact will therefore depend not only on the legislation but also on how the amended provisions are administered.
What Happens Next?
The Select Committee’s report marked an important step in the legislative process, but the Bill still had to go through parliamentary consideration.
The government and lawmakers would need to consider the committee’s recommendations before the legislation could complete the remaining stages of parliamentary approval.
This means the proposals should not be described as fully implemented reforms until the legislative process is completed and the relevant provisions come into force.
Readers should therefore distinguish between proposed amendments, parliamentary approval and changes that have actually become law.
Conclusion
Parliament’s March legislative discussions included several significant reform measures, with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 standing out because of its wide-ranging proposals to reduce criminal penalties for minor violations.
The Select Committee submitted its report on March 13 after 49 sittings, and the revised proposal covers 79 Central Acts and 784 provisions, including 717 provisions proposed for decriminalisation.
The proposed changes cover areas ranging from business regulation and municipal rules to railways and apprenticeship-related provisions.
The government’s stated objective is to promote ease of doing business and ease of living by replacing certain criminal consequences with civil penalties, warnings or administrative mechanisms.
However, the proposals still need to complete the parliamentary process before the changes can be treated as fully implemented law.
The Jan Vishwas Bill therefore remains an important legislative development to watch as Parliament continues its work on regulatory and policy reforms.
Sources: Parliament of India, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, PRS Legislative Research and Press Information Bureau.
