MC EXCLUSIVE Government readies wider decriminalisation push beyond Jan Vishwas II

The Jan Vishwas reform programme was launched to improve ease of doing business

• Govt to decriminalize 350 provisions in 100 Central Acts and 33 ministries
• Aim to remove criminal liability for minor business and compliance offences
• Jan Vishwas II Bill may expand with DPIIT-led changes

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The government is preparing a much larger decriminalisation exercise, having shortlisted about 350 additional provisions across nearly 100 Central Acts and 33 ministries, a substantial expansion from the ongoing Jan Vishwas II initiative.

The move signals a renewed push to reduce criminal liability for business and compliance-related offences, particularly those involving procedural lapses and technical defaults.

The move signals a renewed push to reduce criminal liability for businesses in relation to business- and compliance-related offences, particularly those involving procedural lapses and technical defaults.

Senior government officials said the newly identified provisions could either be incorporated into an expanded Jan Vishwas II Bill or introduced as a new legislative package, depending on how parliamentary deliberations evolve.

“Decriminalisation remains a key reform priority. Around 350 provisions across 33 ministries have been identified beyond what is already part of Jan Vishwas II,” a senior government source told Moneycontrol.

The exercise is expected to cover close to 100 Central Acts, though only limited, targeted provisions in each law are proposed for amendment. The focus is on procedural and compliance-related requirements – such as licences, renewals and information filings – where criminal liability currently applies for minor or technical defaults. The latest exercise, involving about 350 additional provisions, would be substantially larger than both earlier rounds.

Wide sectoral sweep

The proposed exercise is expected to span a wide range of sectors, with significant changes identified across textiles, steel, and heavy industries. Key pieces of legislation, including the Companies Act and the Mines Act, are also part of the review.

“These are not tax-related provisions. They are largely non-financial in nature and relate to compliance, redundant procedures, licensing requirements, renewals and information filings,” the source said. “In many cases, non-submission of information or procedural lapses can technically lead to criminal prosecution. The idea is to remove the criminal tag from such provisions.”

Government sources said changes are being proposed only where there is agreement among the concerned ministries and where regulatory oversight can be maintained through civil penalties or administrative action rather than criminal prosecution.

DPIIT spearheading the exercise

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 18 August 2025 and subsequently referred to a select committee for detailed examination. At the same time, parallel work has continued across ministries to identify additional provisions that could be removed from the criminal framework.

“One option is that there may not be a separate Part III at all. Since Jan Vishwas II is still work in progress, whatever new provisions have been identified could be added to it, even if that means some delay,” the source said, adding that extensive inter-ministerial consultations have taken place under the coordination of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Ministry-wise proposals have already been shared with DPIIT following multiple inter-ministerial meetings. “There is broad consensus across ministries on the provisions being proposed for decriminalisation,” the source said.

Jan Vishwas reforms

The Jan Vishwas reform programme was launched to improve the ease of doing business by decriminalising minor offences across Central laws. Under Jan Vishwas I, enacted in 2023, as many as 183 provisions across 42 Acts were decriminalised, replacing imprisonment with monetary penalties or administrative measures.

Jan Vishwas II builds on that effort and aims to further rationalise around 100 criminal provisions across laws administered by multiple ministries.