ITANAGAR, Apr 3: Chief Minister Pema Khandu today said that the passage of the Jan Vishwas Bill in Parliament marked a decisive shift towards trust-based governance, highlighting the Centre’s efforts to reduce criminalisation and simplify laws to improve ease of doing business.
Parliament on Thursday passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, to amend 784 provisions in 79 central laws for decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to further improve the business environment and check harassment of people.
In a series of posts on X, Khandu said the proposed legislation reflects India’s transition from a system driven by fear of penalties to one built on compliance, fairness and trust.
He observed that the Bill introduces reforms such as warnings before punishment, proportionate penalties, faster and fair resolution of disputes, and a dynamic penalty framework aimed at creating a system that trusts citizens while encouraging responsible compliance.
The CM said that India had for decades carried the burden of outdated and colonial-era laws.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 seeks to replace these with modern provisions that ensure balanced punishments, instead of excessive criminalisation, while promoting governance that supports citizens and businesses.
Khandu said the Bill builds on the foundation of the Jan Vishwas initiative launched in 2023 and now expands its scope across 23 ministries, signalling a major shift from "red tape to reform and from control to trust".
He added that the amendments aim to move away from outdated punitive provisions by converting several offences from criminal penalties to civil penalties, removing imprisonment in multiple cases and introducing warnings for first-time defaults.
Khandu pointed out that the changes are expected to enable quicker resolution of cases through compounding of offences, thereby reducing litigation and improving administrative efficiency.
“Less fear, more trust. Simpler laws, better lives. A future-ready Bharat is taking shape,” he added. (PTI)