The Centre is preparing the third edition of the Jan Vishwas Bill as part of a renewed push to reduce the compliance burden on businesses and simplify India’s regulatory environment.
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the ministry has begun work on expanding the list of minor business offences that can be decriminalised, signalling another round of reforms aimed at boosting ease of doing business.
Addressing a conference of domestic traders, Goyal said officials have already identified around 300 provisions across various laws that could be amended to remove criminal penalties for procedural lapses. “Preparations for Jan Vishwas Bill-3 are underway,” he said, urging trader associations to flag more provisions that impose unnecessary compliance costs or legal exposure.
The move builds on the government’s broader decriminalisation agenda. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025 — introduced in the Lok Sabha in August and currently with a Select Committee — seeks to decriminalise several minor offences to promote ease of living and ease of business. The committee is expected to present its report by the first day of the next Parliamentary session.
This follows the first Jan Vishwas law implemented in 2023, which amended 183 provisions across 42 Acts to replace criminal penalties with monetary penalties or administrative action. According to Goyal, the next phase will go further in pruning provisions that are outdated, overlapping or unduly punitive for small and medium enterprises.
The minister also addressed concerns raised by traders on several regulatory issues. On the long-standing demand for a ‘one nation, one licence’ regime for retail operations, Goyal asked industry representatives to prepare a detailed framework that could be taken up with state governments, noting that licensing remains a state subject.
Touching upon the rollout of the new labour codes, he said the reforms include worker-friendly features such as timely minimum wages for all, universal social security — including coverage for gig and platform workers — and measures designed to reduce compliance friction for employers. He added that the labour codes, once implemented uniformly, would complement wider efforts to improve the business climate.