The government is likely to begin work on a second edition of the Jan Vishwas Bill, which may focus on labour laws and the Factories Act among other areas, sources have said.
“Decriminalising minor offences is going to be a continuous process. A working group has already been constituted to examine other acts and see what are the areas where there is a need to carry out amendments,” a source tracking the matter told businessline.
The focus in the second round would be on labour laws and the Factories Act, among other areas, as there are clearly a number of cases where amendments are called for, another official said.
In the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, passed by both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, a total of 183 provisions are being proposed to be decriminalised in 42 Central Acts administered by 19 Ministries/Departments.
The proposed decriminalisation is through the removal of both imprisonment and/or fine in some provisions, removal of imprisonment while retaining fines in some others, converting imprisonment and fine to penalty in certain provisions, and introducing compounding (paying fines instead of undergoing criminal process) of offences in some.
The government, as part of the four labour codes which were passed by Parliament between 2019 and 2020, but finally got stalled, has already attempted to decriminalise many clauses pertaining to labour law. The four codes include the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, and the Code on Social Security, 2020.
“The working group consisting of legal professionals, industry bodies, members of bureaucracy and regulatory authorities, will examine all that can be incorporated in the next edition of the Jan Vishwas Bill,” the source added.