Overview
The Jan Vishwas Act has been operationalised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The reforms target the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and the Food Safety and Standards Act. The aim is to replace criminal prosecution for minor, technical lapses with administrative penalties, thereby easing the compliance burden while keeping strict safeguards for public health.
Key Developments
- Section 29 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which penalised misuse of a Government Analyst’s report, has been omitted.
- Violations related to low‑risk cosmetics (minor quality or labelling errors) are now dealt with through an administrative penalty framework.
- Section 28A, covering procedural lapses like record‑keeping, is converted to an administrative penalty.
- False complaints against Food Safety Officers will attract an administrative penalty instead of a court fine.
- Imprisonment for interfering with seized items is reduced from six months to three months.
- The offence of obstructing or resisting a Food Safety Officer is removed from the Food Safety and Standards Act, as it is already covered by the BNS.