CHANDIGARH, Nov. 1 -- The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana on Friday brought into force the Haryana Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Ordinance-2025, amending 42 state acts and decriminalising a slew of provisions by replacing criminal penalties for minor offences with civil penalties and administrative actions. This move marks the state's biggest decriminalisation drive yet that is aimed at enhancing both ease of living and ease of doing business, government officials said. The Ordinance promulgated on October 18 after Cabinet nod was published in the official Gazette on October 30. It amends a wide range of state laws beginning with the 153 year old Haryana Laws Act, 1872 to the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Private Coaching Institutes Act, 2024. It also replaces imprisonment and criminal prosecution for minor technical and procedural lapses with monetary penalties to be imposed by competent authorities after due process of hearings. The Ordinance also rationalises penalties across several departments. For instance, under the Haryana Control of Bricks Supplies Act, 1949, the earlier provision of imprisonment up to three years has been replaced with a monetary penalty to be determined by the competent authority. According to commissioner and secretary (industries and commerce) Amit Kumar Agarwal, the objective of this Ordinance is to "rationalise offences" and further enhance "trust-based governance" ensuring ease of living and ease of doing business. Among other Acts that the Ordinance amends are Haryana Forest (Sale of Timber) Act, 1913, The Haryana Excise Act, 1914, The Haryana Registration of Money Lenders Act, 1938. In the Haryana Control of Bricks Supplies Act, 1949, the punishment of "imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both", will be substituted with "...shall be liable to a penalty as may be specified by the competent authority." Similarly, in the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Haryana Requisitioning and Acquisition of Movable Property Act, 1975, criminal penalties (imprisonment which may extend to one year) have been substituted with fines. As per the Ordinance, the competent authority will not impose penalty without following the principles of natural justice of hearing. The amount of penalty as imposed, if not deposited, will be liable to be recovered as an arrears of land revenue. "We will soon have another version of this Ordinance. An exercise is underway to introduce more such amendments and remove the stumbling blocks coming in the way of ease of doing business," Agarwal, secretary (industries) said, adding that the majority of amendments introduced in this Ordinance directly or indirectly are related to the industry department. "We have already addressed 23 other complex issues, this year to further promote ease of doing business. A comprehensive exercise is underway across departments to identify and remove hurdles that hinder entrepreneurship." This reform follows the enactment of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 by the Union government, which decriminalised 183 provisions of 42 Central Acts. Officials said that this step aligns with the Union government's vision of reducing compliance burdens and decriminalising minor offences across various sectors. The Ordinance seeks to decriminalise 164 provisions contained in 42 state acts administered by 17 departments....