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Jan Vishwas Bill Panel Nears Report to Decriminalize Minor Business Offences

The Select Committee on the Jan Vishwas Bill has concluded its stakeholder consultations and is drafting its final report for the upcoming budget session of Parliament. The committee, chaired by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, aims to systematically decriminalize minor offences across various acts to reduce harassment and improve the business climate. Key laws under review include the Reserve Bank of India Act and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act. The final report, incorporating inputs from government departments and other stakeholders, is expected to be submitted by the second week of the session.

Key Points: Jan Vishwas Bill Report Set for Budget Session

  • Decriminalizing minor offences
  • Boosting ease of doing business
  • Removing outdated penalties
  • Stakeholder consultations complete
3 min read

Select Committee on Jan Vishwas bill to give report in budget session of Parliament

Select Committee finalizes report to decriminalize minor offences, aiming to boost ease of doing business and living in India.

"The objective is to decriminalise them and make sure that there is a fair and equitable playing field. - Tejasvi Surya"

New Delhi, January 8

The Select Committee on Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025 interacted with representatives of Department of Commerce, Department of Financial Services and of Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday as part of its deliberations to systematically decriminalise minor offences across multiple Acts. The Committee is slated to give its report in the budget session of Parliament.

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is chairperson of the panel, told ANI after the meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious target of ease of doing business in India and also ensure ease of living for the citizens of the country.

"Today, we had detailed deliberations with officials representing the Department of Commerce. We also had officials from the Reserve bank of India regarding certain provisions, to decriminalise certain provisions which otherwise are hampering the ease of doing business in the country. Detailed discussions were held and very soon the committee will be presenting the report in the Parliament," he said.

"We have completed the interactions with the ministries that are covered under the Jan Vishwas 2.0. The committee also held detailed discussions with various stakeholders apart from the government officials. All of their inputs have also been considered. We are now drafting the report. We have time until the second week of the first leg of the budget session. And we are very confident we will be able to submit the report. There is a meeting tomorrow also. Tomorrow we will be discussing with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Skill Development as well as well the drugs and cosmetics," he added.

Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985 are among laws in which amendments are proposed.

Tejasvi Surya said the objective of the bill is that there must be decriminalisation of offences which otherwise will lead to unnecessary harassment of people doing honest business.

"The Prime Minister has given a very clear mandate that there are many provisions in various statutes which for a very long time has remained without any significance and in some cases, have not been applied...The objective is to decriminalise them and make sure that there is a fair and equitable playing field. I am sure by the end of deliberations, substantial recommendations will be made which will further simplify the existing cause," he said.

Many offences which otherwise are not needed to be present on the statute book will also be removed, he added.

Answering a query, Tejasvi Surya said there have been detailed discussions with the Ministry of Road Transport officials as well.

"Substantial changes will be made keeping in mind the safety and ease of living of common commuters of the country. These are general issues which otherwise are like penalties and fines which don't have any significance in today's world. Such provisions are all being removed," he said.

The budget session of Parliament is expected to begin later this month.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
Good initiative, but execution is key. We've seen committees before. The report must lead to actual, simple changes on the ground for the common person, not just remain a file in Parliament. Fingers crossed.
A
Aman W
Including RBI Act and APEDA is significant. Our export procedures are a nightmare. If they can simplify these, it will be a big boost for 'Make in India'. Jai Hind!
S
Sarah B
As someone who has worked in India's development sector, simplifying archaic laws is crucial. However, I hope the decriminalisation is done thoughtfully. Some penalties exist for public safety (like in drugs & cosmetics). Balance is important.
K
Karthik V
Ease of living is the phrase that caught my eye. If they can remove meaningless fines and penalties from transport laws, it will be a huge relief for every daily commuter. Less harassment by traffic police, please!
V
Vikram M
The committee seems to be moving fast. Interacting with RBI, Commerce, MHA... hope the final report is comprehensive. This could be a landmark reform if done right. Bharat is progressing!

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