Odisha Cabinet Clears Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to Ease Regulatory Burden on Businesses

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to undertake another round of regulatory reforms aimed at making compliance simpler for businesses and citizens, with the state Cabinet approving the Odisha Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026 on Monday.

The proposed legislation seeks to rationalise licensing and permission procedures, remove duplicate approvals and reduce the compliance burden by introducing 62 amendments across 16 state Acts administered by 11 departments.

The Bill marks the second phase of Odisha’s Jan Vishwas reform programme, building on the decriminalisation measures introduced through the Odisha Jan Vishwas Act, 2025. The latest proposals focus not only on minor offences but also on simplifying the regulatory framework governing businesses and local activities.

The proposed amendments have been divided into two schedules. The first proposes 35 amendments across 11 Acts to decriminalise and rationalise minor, technical and procedural offences.

Under the proposed changes, imprisonment and disproportionate financial penalties for certain violations would be replaced with monetary penalties. Outdated penalty provisions would also be revised, while simpler administrative and appellate mechanisms would be introduced.

The second schedule contains 27 amendments across five Acts aimed at rationalising nine regulatory approvals. These include extending the validity of licences and registrations, reducing or eliminating renewal requirements and introducing intimation-based registration and No Objection Certificate mechanisms.

The reforms also seek to eliminate overlapping permissions where an equivalent approval has already been obtained. For instance, duplicate licensing requirements may be removed in cases where businesses already possess equivalent clearances such as trade licences issued by Urban Local Bodies.

Several sector-specific procedures are also proposed to be simplified. These include extending the validity of agricultural market licences, rationalising licensing requirements at the Gram Panchayat level and easing permissions relating to name boards, public-street works and specified temporary commercial activities.

The government expects the reforms to reduce procedural delays and litigation while providing businesses with greater regulatory certainty. By simplifying approvals and compliance requirements, the initiative is also aimed at improving the ease of doing business and creating a more predictable environment for investment.

The Bill reflects the state government’s broader shift towards trust-based governance, with greater emphasis on reducing unnecessary regulatory intervention while retaining mechanisms to address substantive violations.

The Cabinet approval now paves the way for the proposed legislation to be introduced for further consideration. If implemented, the reforms are expected to streamline interactions between businesses, citizens and government agencies and strengthen administrative efficiency across multiple sectors.