Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022 to amend 42 laws passed in Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022 to amend 42 laws across multiple sectors including agriculture, environment and media and publication..As per the text of the Bill, it aims to "amend certain enactments for decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business"..Highlighting the rationale behind decriminalising certain offences, the Bill's Statement of Objects and Reasons states:"The Government is committed to make India the most preferred global investment destination by boosting investor confidence. The fear of imprisonment for minor offences is a major factor hampering the growth of the business ecosystem and individual confidence."Further elaborating on its aim to ease of doing business and ease of living, the Bill states,"Reducing compliance burden gives impetus to business process reengineering and improves Ease of living of people. Series of measures such as simplifying, digitising and rationalising compliances are being taken to achieve these goals.".The Bill converts several fines to penalties. Effectively, court prosecution will not be necessary to administer punishments. It also decriminalises offences and reduces compliance burdens under various statutes. It also removes imprisonment as a punishment for many offences. All offences under the Post Office Act, 1898 are being removed.Fines or penalties for certain offences in specified Acts will increase by 10% every three years.Some Acts have been amended to provide for the appointment of adjudicating officers to decide penalties. The Bill also specifies the appellate mechanism for the same.It also provides for the creation of the Environmental Protection Fund for education, awareness and research for environment protection..The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 22, 2022, before being referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by PP Chaudhary for examination.The Acts being amended through this Bill include the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991, and the Information Technology Act, 2000..[Read the Bill]