The Parliament has passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha approving it today. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill yesterday. The legislation amends certain enactments for decriminalising and rationalising offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and doing business. The bill will decriminalise minor offences and implement measures such as revising fines and penalties proportionate to the offence. It proposes to amend 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries. A total of 784 provisions are being proposed to be amended, out of which 717 provisions are being decriminalised to foster ease of doing business, and 67 provisions are being proposed to facilitate ease of living.

Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Bill will help in the ease of doing business and ease of living by decriminalising minor offences. He said that Jan Vishwas Bill will be the foundation of a developed India and asserted that a nation will only progress through trust but not through fear. The Minister said, several laws from the colonial era continue to exist, and they need to be reformed. Mr Goyal said, the reform in the bill is a significant step towards simplifying laws, reducing compliance burden and fear of penalties. The Minister said, today India has the largest youth population in the world. He said, the number of start-ups has grown from around 500 to three lakhs under the Startup India initiative, launched in 2015. Mr Goyal noted that the young people are no longer just job seekers but they are becoming job creators.

Earlier, initiating the discussion, Shaktisinh Gohil of Congress said, the government has brought the Bill in haste. He said, out of 79 Acts what is being amended, there are Acts that will adversely affect the people. Md Nadimul Haque of TMC said, this Bill is amending 80 central acts. He questioned why all criminal provisions have been merged to one law. He said, it is undermining legislative spirit and intent.

Lahar Singh Siroya of BJP said, the government has kept focus on all sectors, including Industries, Start-ups, MSMEs and Farmers. He said, the 24-member select committee held 49 meetings and scrutinised the legislation. Mr Siroya said, the Bill represents a positive reform in the regulatory framework by prioritising proportionate penalties over punitive provisions. He took on the Opposition Congress for spreading rumours on availability of petroleum products.

Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha of TDP, Golla Baburao of YSRCP, Nirnajan Bishi of BJD, P Wilson of DMK, and Ashok Kumar Mittal of AAP also participated in the discussion, among others. After passing the legislation, the House took up special mentions where Members raised matters of urgent importance. After this, the Upper House was adjourned till 16th April.