Telangana Praja Viswasam Bill passed to simplify laws and improve business climate

The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday passed the Telangana Praja Viswasam (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, aimed at improving the ease of doing business by decriminalising minor offences and rationalising outdated legal provisions.

State Legislative Affairs and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said the legislation had been drafted in line with the Centre’s Jan Vishwas framework, which seeks to replace imprisonment provisions for several minor offences with monetary penalties.

Sridhar Babu said the state bill would also allow compromise in certain cases to reduce prolonged legal disputes, strengthen transparency, improve regulatory efficiency and remove obsolete or unnecessary laws.

According to the minister, officials of the Industries Department consulted various government departments and identified more than 400 offences that could potentially be decriminalised to support businesses and improve the regulatory environment.

He said the department would also undertake awareness programmes to familiarise citizens and business owners with the rules and provisions of the legislation.

Responding to concerns raised during the debate, Sridhar Babu said the government would direct the State Level Bankers’ Committee to examine the difficulties faced by small entrepreneurs in obtaining bank loans. He particularly mentioned business owners from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class and minority communities.

The legislation follows the Centre’s Jan Vishwas initiative, under which Parliament passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, on April 1 to decriminalise and rationalise minor offences across various laws and promote ease of doing business and living.

with inputs from PTI