Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 | 02 Apr 2026

Source: BL 

The Lok Sabha passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, a landmark legislative move designed to enhance the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Ease of Living by transitioning from a punitive to a trust-based governance model. 

Key Features of the 2026 Bill  

• Scope and Scale: The Bill amends 784 provisions across 80 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries, effectively decriminalising 717 provisions.  
  • The key laws that the bill seeks to amend include the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.  
    • The laws dealing with real estate, coal, mining, shipping, petroleum, power, railways, copyright and patents would also be amended through the bill. 
• Regulatory Shift: It decriminalises minor civic violations, replacing criminal prosecution with civil penalties and "warning-first" principles. Reserving courts for willful non-compliance, it reduces systemic burdens to create a more "predictable, transparent and fair" regulatory environment for all stakeholders. 
• Institutional Framework: To streamline justice and reduce the burden on courts, the Bill mandates the appointment of Adjudicating Officers and the establishment of Appellate Authorities. 
• Consultative Approach: The legislation was shaped by High-Level Committee meetings under NITI Aayog and a Select Committee process involving 49 sittings with industry leaders and subject-matter experts.