The Telangana Legislative Assembly has passed a bill seeking to decriminalise more than 400 minor offences, reduce legal disputes and improve the ease of doing business in the state. The legislation was approved on Saturday as the government moved to align Telangana’s regulatory framework with the Centre’s Jan Vishwas legislation.
State Legislative Affairs and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said the Telangana Praja Viswasam (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 had been drafted in accordance with the central law. The Centre’s Jan Vishwas legislation decriminalised more than 180 minor offences and replaced criminal provisions with monetary penalties.
The state bill is intended to rationalise minor regulatory violations and reduce the possibility of businesses facing criminal proceedings for offences that can be addressed through financial penalties or other administrative measures. The minister said the proposed changes would also improve transparency and regulatory efficiency.
According to the minister, officials from the Industries department consulted other state departments before identifying more than 400 offences that could be decriminalised. The review also included provisions that the government considers outdated or unnecessary, with the stated aim of simplifying the regulatory environment for businesses operating in Telangana.
The bill also provides scope for compromise in certain offences, a provision the government says could help reduce legal disputes. The minister told the Assembly that the legislation would support a system in which eligible violations can be resolved without every matter moving through a prolonged legal process.
For businesses, particularly smaller enterprises, the effect of the legislation will depend on how the revised provisions are notified and implemented by individual departments. The Industries department is expected to undertake awareness efforts on the rules and regulations introduced through the legislation, according to the minister.
The Assembly debate also covered access to institutional finance. Responding to concerns raised by members, Sridhar Babu said the government would instruct the State Level Bankers’ Committee to address difficulties faced by small businessmen in securing loans. He specifically referred to entrepreneurs from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class and minority communities.
The financial access component places the bill within a wider state effort to reduce operational barriers for smaller businesses. While the legislation focuses on offences and regulatory processes, the government’s Assembly response also linked ease of doing business with the ability of small enterprises to obtain bank credit.
The Telangana legislation follows the Lok Sabha’s passage of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, on April 1. That central legislation seeks to amend provisions in different laws by decriminalising and rationalising minor offences to promote ease of doing business and ease of living.
The next implementation steps will involve creating awareness of the amended rules and coordinating their application across the departments that identified offences for decriminalisation. The government has also indicated that the State Level Bankers’ Committee will be asked to examine credit-related difficulties faced by small businesses.
