The Madhya Pradesh Assembly stood in history by passing the Jan Vishwas Amendment of Provisions Bill-2024, thus becoming the first state to adopt such legislation inspired by the central government's Jan Vishwas Act of 2023. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has been instrumental in the introduction of the bill aiming to simplify legal processes, improve transparency, and create a conducive atmosphere for business activity.
The MP Jan Vishwas Bill-2024 amends 64 sections of eight acts of the state in five significant key departments: Industrial Policy, Energy, Co-operation, Labour, and Urban Development. Some salient features are the substitution of imprisonment with fines, generalisation of punishment to penalty, and provision for compounding of offences. It has also repealed 920 old and obsolete laws relevant to modern needs, thus making the legal framework simpler and better relating to contemporary demands.
Chief Minister Yadav stated that it will be a transforming bill for better governance and will rewrite the avenues of doing less business and convert Madhya Pradesh into a new investment destination. He reiterated that this legal architecture would help not just in relieving the courts but also in generating employment as entrepreneurship would flourish. This is intended to enable the public and entrepreneurs to move through the governmental procedures with less friction and greater ease.
"The jail sentences for petty offences will be replaced with fines so the load on the justice system lessens," Yadav said, adding that this will help speed up the processes and keep the legal system updated to the demands of the moment. He termed the legislation as a significant step in strengthening the economic future of Madhya Pradesh.
In line with the central government's Jan Vishwas Act, which decriminalized 183 provisions across 42 central laws, the state government has introduced similar changes at the regional level. The bill not only updates outdated laws but also reflects CM Yadav's vision for a more accessible and transparent governance system that benefits both citizens and businesses.
The MP Jan Vishwas Bill-2024 is expected to create a more business-friendly ecosystem, boost investor confidence, and lay the groundwork for a new era of development and governance in Madhya Pradesh.
(Inputs from ANI)