Why in the News?

Recently, the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 was introduced in Lok Sabha to amend certain enactments to decriminalize and rationalize offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business.

More on the News

• The bill builds on the success of the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, which had decriminalized 183 provisions in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries and Departments.
• The 2025 Bill expands these reforms, addressing 16 Central Acts administered by 10 Ministries/Departments.
• The Bill exemplifies process reforms by replacing rigid, punitive compliances with rationalized, trust-based mechanisms to streamline procedures, reduce judicial burden, and create an enabling environment for citizens and businesses alike.

Key Features of the Bill

• First-time contraventions: For 76 offences under 10 different Acts, the Bill provides that first-time violations will attract only an advisory or warning instead of punishment.
• Decriminalization of minor offences: Removes imprisonment clauses with monetary penalties or warnings for minor, technical, and procedural defaults. E.g., Some Acts like the Tea Act, 1953, Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (already amended in 2023 are further decriminalized).
• Rationalization of penalties: Fines are rationalized and made proportionate, with incremental penalties for repeat offences. 
• Adjudication mechanism: Designates officers with the authority to impose penalties through administrative processes to ensure quicker resolution of cases and reduce the burden on the judiciary.
• Automatic revision of fines: Provides for an automatic increase of 10 per cent in fines and penalties every three year which ensures that penalties remain effective as a deterrent without the need for frequent legislative amendments.

What Are Process Reforms?

• Process reforms are described as "nuts and bolts reforms" that involve changing specific rules or procedures, such as altering a subsection of a rule. 
  • Unlike "structural reforms" (e.g., GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, monetary policy committee) which change the underlying architecture of an economic activity, process reforms improve the operation of a given structure.
• They are micro-level, targeted changes to improve operational efficiency in specific sectors or activities within public policy.
• Economic Survey 2020-21 also advocated the merits of simpler regulations and smoother processes as against over-regulation and opacity in Indian administrative and legal processes.

Significance of Process Reforms 

• Sustaining Economic Growth: As the world's fastest-growing economy, India needs ongoing reforms to maintain momentum. 
  • Process reforms fill the space between major structural changes, keeping the wheels of progress turning.
• Ease of Doing Business, Living, and Science: These reforms directly remove day-to-day irritations for citizens, businesses, and researchers. E.g., new procurement rules for scientific institutions make it easier for scientists to work efficiently.
• Unblocking bottlenecks and delays: Many government processes in India have legacy inefficiencies due to old rules, cumbersome paperwork, unnecessary approvals, slow delivery of services creating barriers for citizens and businesses.
• Enhancing sectoral competitiveness: E.g., Liberalization of telecom rules for Other Service Providers (OSP) fueled a boom in IT-enabled and BPO sectors.
• Reducing corruption & rent-Seeking: By making systems transparent and removing unnecessary steps, process reforms help reduce scope of corruption and arbitrary enforcement.
• Institutionalizing a problem-solving mindset: Systematic process reforms build a culture of continual problem-solving within government, making institutions agile and responsive, rather than assuming systems are "God-given".

Conclusion

As India continues to evolve into a dynamic, innovation-driven economy, reforms like the Jan Vishwas Bill must be seen not as endpoints but as milestones in a longer journey of governance transformation. By embracing technology, continuous simplification, and citizen-centric governance, these reforms can translate into a culture of responsiveness, transparency, and adaptability within institutions.