Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that the reform brought in the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 is a significant step towards simplifying laws and reducing compliance burden and fear of penalties.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi today on the bill, Mr Goyal said the aim of the bill is not to control common people but to benefit them and enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business. Mr Goyal said for the first time, one thousand offences across 79 Acts have been decriminalised through the Jan Vishwas Bill. He added that this bill is an important milestone in the country’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.

Mr Goyal asserted that this legislation demonstrates trust shown by Narendra Modi’s government on the common man, small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs. He also stated that 12 states have already introduced their own version of Jan Vishwas laws and urged other states to also look into decriminalising petty offences. The Minister also emphasised that this step has been taken to move away from a colonial mindset where punishment prevailed over fairness. Mr Goyal also mentioned that these reforms could provide significant relief to the judicial system, which currently has 5 crore pending cases related to such minor offences.