New Delhi, April 4: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has outlined key reforms under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, aimed at simplifying compliance across health sector laws while maintaining safeguards for public health and safety.
According to the ministry, the amendments span several major legislations, including the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Pharmacy Act, 1948, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.
A central element of the reforms is the shift from criminal penalties, including imprisonment for minor procedural violations, to a system of graded monetary penalties. The ministry said this approach seeks to create a more facilitative regulatory framework while retaining stringent action for serious violations that affect public health.
Under the proposed changes, provisions in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act have been revised to replace imprisonment with financial penalties in specific cases and to introduce a structured adjudication mechanism. Violations under certain sections related to cosmetics, excluding cases involving spurious or adulterated products, will be handled through a civil penalty framework without requiring court intervention.
Similarly, amendments to the Pharmacy Act aim to modernise penalty provisions by increasing financial penalties for non-compliance and ensuring alignment with updated regulatory standards. The objective is to enhance accountability while simplifying enforcement processes.
The Food Safety and Standards Act has also been revised to streamline provisions and ensure that penalties remain proportionate to the nature of the offence. The ministry stated that this would help maintain regulatory oversight while reducing compliance burdens.
Changes to the Clinical Establishments Act focus on promoting corrective action by emphasising monetary penalties in cases where deficiencies do not pose immediate risks to patient safety. This is intended to encourage compliance without initiating criminal proceedings.
Further, the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act has been strengthened to ensure adherence to professional standards, with penalties designed to deter violations while maintaining proportionality.
Overall, the Bill proposes amendments to 784 provisions across 79 Central Acts administered by 23 ministries. Of these, 717 provisions have been decriminalised to support ease of doing business, while 67 provisions have been modified to improve ease of living.
The ministry said the reforms are intended to balance regulatory enforcement with a more streamlined compliance environment across the health sector.
