The Government of Odisha on January 22, 2026, notified the Odisha Jan Vishwas Act, 2025, after receiving the Governor’s assent on January 17, 2026. The Act aims to amend various state enactments to decriminalise and rationalise offences, thereby promoting trust-based governance and improving ease of living and doing business in the State.
The Act provides for amendments to multiple existing laws listed in the Schedule, including the Odisha Nurses and Midwives Registration Act, 1938, Odisha Municipal Act, 1950, and Odisha Prevention of Gambling Act, 1955. These amendments largely replace criminal punishments such as imprisonment with monetary penalties and enhance penalty amounts for various regulatory contraventions.
Further, the Act introduces a mechanism for periodic revision of fines and penalties, providing that the minimum prescribed fines or penalties under the affected enactments will increase by ten per cent every three years from the commencement of the Act. The legislation also repeals the Odisha Jan Vishwas Ordinance, 2025, while saving actions already taken under the ordinance.
[Notification No. 1855-I-Legis-27/2025/L]
