Latest News | Jan Vishwas Bill to Help Improve Ease of Doing Business

New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Provisions of the Jan Vishwas bill will further improve the ease of doing business in the country in a significant manner by decriminalising small offences, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday in Lok Sabha introduced Jan Vishwas Bill, which seeks to amend 183 provisions across 42 Acts administered by 19 ministries.

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The bill was later referred to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for scrutiny.

The official said that though the government has earlier done various things in a piecemeal manner, this bill will decriminalises minor offences in one go in a large number of Acts.

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"The bill will further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business," the government official added.

Explaining the rationale behind the proposed legislation, the official said that the government is focussing on reducing the overall compliance burden for businesses and citizens.

For this, a four-pronged strategy -- simplifications, digitisation, decriminalisation of provisions for minor offences and elimination of redundant laws/rules -- has been adopted to deliver the desired objectives of this initiative.

Citing some examples, the official said there is a proposal to remove imprisonment (up to six months) for trespassing or pasturing of cattle or permitting cattle to trespass in forest areas (Indian Forests Act); and removal of jail term for non-maintenance of record or register under Legal Metrology Act, 2009.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)