Mint Explainer: Jan Vishwas amendment bill returns to Parliament
ease of doing business and reduce the huge backlog of court cases. Many of the provisions criminalising offences are antiquated and not relevant in present circumstances. These are being removed from the statutes and a penalty structure is being drawn up.
Several criminal provisions for minor offences are being dropped and replaced by monetary penalties. The bill also has a unique feature through which the minimum fine will increase by 10% every three years. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill was initially introduced in the Lok Sabha by commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on December 22, 2022.
It attracted strong opposition as it dealt with a limited set of laws. It was referred to a joint committee of parliament, which had detailed discussions with the ministries and departments concerned. The committee adopted its report in March 2023, and it was presented to the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
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