Mohan Majhi Govt Clears Odisha Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026
The Bill proposes amendments to 62 provisions spread across 16 State Acts administered by 11 government departments
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved 18 proposals relating to 12 government departments, with the proposed Odisha Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026 emerging as a key reform measure aimed at easing regulatory compliance for citizens and businesses.
The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, cleared the Bill as the second and broader phase of the State government's regulatory reform initiative. Building on the Odisha Jan Vishwas Act, 2025, the proposed legislation seeks to simplify licensing and permission procedures, eliminate overlapping approvals and promote a more trust-based regulatory framework.
The Bill proposes amendments to 62 provisions spread across 16 State Acts administered by 11 government departments.
The proposed amendments have been classified under two schedules. Schedule I contains 35 amendments across 11 Acts, primarily aimed at decriminalising and rationalising minor, technical and procedural offences. Schedule II proposes 27 amendments across five Acts to streamline and rationalise nine regulatory approvals.
Under the proposed reforms, imprisonment or conventional fines for certain minor and procedural violations could be replaced with proportionate monetary penalties. The Bill also seeks to update outdated penalty provisions and introduce simplified administrative and appellate mechanisms.
A major thrust of the legislation is the easing of licensing and regulatory requirements. The proposed changes include extending the validity of certain licences and approvals, reducing renewal requirements, introducing intimation-based registration and no-objection mechanisms, and doing away with duplicate permissions.
The reforms also extend to municipal and local-body regulations. Businesses may no longer be required to obtain multiple licences from different State departments where an equivalent clearance, such as a trade licence issued by an Urban Local Body, is already available.
Other proposed measures include extending the validity of agricultural market licences, rationalising Gram Panchayat licensing norms and simplifying permissions for name boards, public-street works and certain temporary commercial activities.
According to the industries department, the reforms are expected to reduce compliance costs, litigation and procedural delays while improving regulatory certainty and administrative efficiency. The government believes the proposed changes will also strengthen citizen and investor confidence and make Odisha's regulatory environment more business-friendly.