Govt repealed 2,000 colonial-era laws, got rid of 40,000 compliances: PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 said the Union government has identified and struck down more than 2,000 central laws and has ended more than 40,000 compliances so far.

The PM was speaking at the closing ceremony of Gauhati High Court's platinum jubilee celebrations. "Many of our laws date back to the British era and have completely lost their relevance now. The government is making constant efforts to review such laws," he stated.

As regards to reduction in compliances, it is to be noted that to enhance ease of doing business, it was announced in the Union Budget 2023 that more than 39,000 compliances have been reduced and more than 3,400 legal provisions, which had criminal implications, decriminalised.

The finance minister in her budget speech said that these actions were in line with the Jan Vishwas Bill, which was introduced in Lok Sabha in December 2022. The Bill is now before the joint parliamentary committee.

The rationale of Jan Vishwas Bill

The Bill amends 42 Acts to reduce compliances for businesses and ensure ease of doing business. Acts such as the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, and the Information Technology Act, 2000, were amended.

Many offences, some leading to imprisonment, have been decriminalised and replaced with just a monetary penalty. For instance, under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937, counterfeiting grade designation marks is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 5,000. The Bill intends to replace this with a penalty of Rs 8 lakh.