New Delhi
The government has accelerated its agenda to reduce and simplify compliance burdens on industries, reinforcing its push to improve India’s ease of doing business landscape. Speaking at an event organised by industry body FICCI on Tuesday, Himani Pande, Additional Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), underlined that while decriminalisation of minor offences was an important reform, it was only the first step in a larger deregulatory effort.
“More importantly (other than) decriminalisation is the compliance burden, which also needs to go down. That is something which we are moving on a fast track mode,” Pande said.
The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, already introduced in the Lok Sabha, seeks amendments to 355 provisions across 16 central laws administered by 10 government departments and ministries.
- 288 provisions will be decriminalised to reduce litigation and shift focus towards civil penalties.
- 67 provisions will be amended to directly enhance ease of living.
- The broader goal is to cut judicial pendency by avoiding criminal prosecution for minor or unintentional violations.
Pande stressed that compliance simplification and digitisation would be key. “(Decriminalisation) does take away the offence, but the compliance remains. We are working on how many of those compliances can be simplified or reduced. Where not possible, digitisation can make compliance easier,” she said, calling on industry to provide targeted inputs.
She also highlighted that the Cabinet Secretariat is driving a deregulation agenda at both Centre and State levels through dedicated task forces reviewing outdated norms across states.
Industry Perspective
Commenting on the development, Mohan Shukla, Chairman of the Board of Governors at News365 Times, welcomed the move and urged ministries to take bolder steps:
“Keeping in view the global economic and diplomatic challenges cropping up fast and furiously, the time is ready and ripe for all Ministries in general and Economic Ministries in particular to go in for scissoring or deleting the old and outdated set of compliances which cripple industry growth. Such redundant rules throw cold water on the enthusiasm of new-generation investors and industries.”
He further noted that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has time and again reiterated the importance of ensuring ease of doing business, ease of execution of projects and expansions, and ease of living.
