Gujarat govt to table ‘Jan Vishwas Bill’ to decriminalise minor offences

The Gujarat government will soon introduce a bill aimed at decriminalising certain offences to promote trust-based governance and improve the ease of doing business, State Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel said in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.During the upcoming Monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly, scheduled from September 8 to 10, the government will table The Gujarat Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, which seeks to amend provisions in 11 existing acts. A total of five bills, including the Jan Vishwas Bill, are set for discussion and approval during the session,according to information.
“Our aim is to simplify rules and regulations, promote ease of doing business, reduce the burden on courts and rationalise the existing provisions,” Patel said.According to the Jan Vishwas Bill document uploaded on the Assembly’s website, the legislation seeks “to amend certain enactments for decriminalising and rationalising offences to further enhance trust-based governance for ease of living and the ease of doing business.”The bill proposes replacing punitive legal action with fines and penalties for various minor offences such as unauthorised construction, encroachment on public spaces, non-removal of filth, tying cattle in public places, and defaulting on certain tax payments.
Among the 11 laws slated for amendment are the Gujarat Co-operative Societies Act, 1961, the Gujarat Agricultural Produce and Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 1963, the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, 1976, the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963, and the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949.“A web of outdated rules and regulations causes trust deficit. It is therefore necessary to redefine the regulatory landscape of the laws under the Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business reforms,” the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill noted. It further added that reducing compliance burdens gives impetus to business process re-engineering and improves quality of life for citizens.The bill emphasises that fear of imprisonment for minor offences has been a major factor hampering business growth and undermining individual confidence. “The government is therefore considering decriminalisation of a number of minor offences by replacing them with monetary penalties. By taking such measures, the government is striving hard to make lives and businesses easier and reduce the burden on courts,” it stated.

(State Correspondent)