NEW DELHI: The lower House of Parliament on Thursday passed Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, to enable ease of doing business by decriminalising minor offences by amending 183 provisions in 42 central acts administered by 19 ministries.
The Bill proposes to do away with provisions entailing imprisonment and fines. All offences under the post office act, 1898 have been proposed to be removed. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal while moving the Bill in Lok Sabha said nearly 40,000 provisions and procedures, which had the possibility of creating hurdles for people were either simplified or removed by the Modi-led government over the last nine years.
“The amendment Bill will contribute to rationalising criminal provisions and ensuring that citizens, businesses and the government departments operate without fear of imprisonment for minor, technical or procedural defaults,” the government said in a statement.
“This bill establishes a balance between the severity of the offence/violation committed and the gravity of the prescribed punishment. The proposed amendments ensure the adherence to law by businesses and citizens, without losing the rigor of the law, it stated. Decriminalisation of provisions which affect citizens and certain categories of government employees will help them live without the fear of imprisonment for minor violations.