The government on Friday introduced in the Lok Sabha the second edition of the Jan Vishwas bill seeking to amend certain provisions to decriminalise a host of minor offences to promote ease of doing business.. The government introduced the second edition of the Jan Vishwas bill seeking to amend certain provisions to decriminalise a host of minor offences to promote ease of doing business. (ANI). The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, which was introduced by minister of state for commerce and industry Jitin Prasada, proposes to amend 79 central acts administered by 23 ministries.. A total of 784 provisions are being proposed to be amended, out of which 717 provisions are being decriminalised to foster ease of doing business, and 67 provisions are proposed to be changed to facilitate ease of living.. Also Read: ₹1,000 fine for dog owner if pet found without leash on street under proposed DMC Act revision. The bill proposes to remove imprisonment in 57 provisions and fines in 158 provisions. Also, imprisonment is proposed to be reduced in 17 provisions, and imprisonment and fine are proposed to be converted to a penalty in 113 provisions.. 1. The government has proposed amending the Motor Vehicles Act to introduce a 30-day grace period after a driving licence expires, during which it will still be considered valid.. 2. Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the proposed amendment reduces the maximum jail term for tampering with seized items (such as food or vehicles) from six months to three months.. 3. The 153-year-old Cattle Trespass Act is set for a major overhaul, with key offences being decriminalised, jail terms replaced by monetary penalties, and collected fines directed towards animal welfare.. 4. Amendments to the Electricity Act propose removing imprisonment for non-compliance with official orders, while increasing penalties up to ₹10 lakh. The bill also removes provisions related to penalties for extinguishing public lamps and simplifies existing penal clauses.. 5. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Act, 1994, will see a restructuring of property tax into two components—building tax and vacant land tax, replacing the existing framework under Section 61.. 6. Under the Slum Areas (Improvement and Clearance) Act, 1956, offences will attract fines of up to ₹10,000 per instance instead of imprisonment. Continued violations will incur an additional 1,000 per day, capped at ₹1 lakh.. 7. In relief to homebuyers, the amendment removes the provision of up to one-year imprisonment for allottees failing to comply with Real Estate Appellate Tribunal orders. Instead, a penalty of up to 10% of the property cost may be imposed.. 8. For unauthorised occupation of government premises, penalties will be significantly increased. Offenders may have to pay up to 40 times the licence fee in the first month, with a 10% monthly increase thereafter. Illegal occupation of public non-residential land may also attract up to six mo 

 The Delhi high court has protected the personality rights of Gautam Gambhir, head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, restraining entities from using his persona without his consent.. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. (X). A bench of Justice Jyoti Singh in a March 25 order, released on Saturday, observed that Gambhir is among India’s most decorated cricketers, and that unauthorised content and merchandise deriving commercial value from his considerable goodwill and reputation amounts to a violation of his personality and publicity rights.. The court directed the entities to take down the infringing content within 36 hours. “…[Gambhir] has represented India in 242 international matches across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is and is most remembered for his match-winning innings in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 Final and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final…”. Justice Singh said after retirement, Gambhir transitioned into a different role of mentorship and coaching and was appointed head coach in July 2024. “…under his stewardship, India won the ICC Champions Trophy, 2025, Asia Cup, 2025, and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2026,” the court said.. Gambhir sought protection of personality rights, citing a coordinated campaign involving digital impersonation, AI-generated deepfakes, and unauthorised commercial exploitation of his persona. He said there has been a sharp rise in fabricated digital content relating to him across platforms such as Instagram, X, YouTube, and Facebook since 2025.. Gambhir said multiple accounts used AI tools, including face-swapping and voice-cloning technologies, to create realistic videos falsely portraying him as making statements he never made. He referred to a fabricated “resignation announcement” that reportedly garnered over 2.9 million views. Gambhir said e-commerce platforms were facilitating the sale of posters and merchandise bearing his name and likeness without authorisation. 

 The telephone conversation on March 24 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump was between them only, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday, dismissing reports that billionaire Elon Musk joined the phone call.. L: PM Modi and US President Donald Trump | R: Tesla CEO Elon Musk (Bloomberg and Reuters). Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined the phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump that took place on Tuesday, The New York Times reported on Friday. Track latest in US-Iran war here. According to the NYT, Musk’s involvement in the call marks an unusual instance of a private citizen participating in a conversation between two heads of state amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.. Giving a clarification on the report, a spokesperson of the MEA said, “We have seen the story. The telephone conversation on 24 March was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump only,” news agency ANI reported.. “As has been stated earlier, it provided the opportunity for exchange of views on the situation in West Asia,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.. Amid intensifying global efforts to secure vital energy corridors, PM Modi held a telephonic conversation with US President Trump on Tuesday to discuss the prevailing conflict in West Asia.. PM Modi said he discussed the importance of the opening of key waterway Strait of Hormuz.. “Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia. India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability,” PM Modi stated in his post.. According to the NYT, it remains unclear why Elon Musk participated in the call or whether he actively spoke.. Meanwhile, the US embassy in India shared a surprise praise message by Donald Trump on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I are two people that get things done, the message by US President Donald Trump stated, adding that this is something that “cannot be said for most”.. “Our amazing relationship with India will be even stronger going forward. Prime Minister Modi and I are two people that get things done, something that cannot be said for most,” the US Embassy in India shared on X a message by President Donald Trump.. The shoutout for India-US relations came amid the Middle East conflict that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. 

 At least five people were killed and around 15 others critically injured after a tourist bus overturned on National Highway 57 in Odisha’s Nayagarh district late Friday night, police said.. The accident occurred around 1 am near Takera Ghat under Daspalla police limits, a stretch known for sharp curves. (Representative photo/shutterstock). The accident occurred around 1 am near Takera Ghat under Daspalla police limits, a stretch known for sharp curves.. Police identified the deceased as Hari Patra, Laxmi Patra, Suprabha Sahu, Sumati Sahu, and driver Praveen Sahu.. According to preliminary reports, the bus, carrying nearly 60 pilgrims from Berhampur, was headed for tourist spots in western Odisha when it lost control near Takera Ghat while negotiating a bend.. Police said the vehicle rammed into a roadside rock before turning turtle, leaving the front portion completely mangled. Locals, along with police and fire service personnel, launched a rescue operation soon after the incident.. The injured were first taken to nearby health facilities and later shifted to the Nayagarh District Headquarters Hospital. Medical officials said at least 15 of the injured are in critical condition, while others suffered minor to moderate injuries.. Eyewitnesses said the bus was traveling at a high speed and failed to slow down at the curve. “Several passengers were flung out of the vehicle on impact, while others remained trapped inside the wreckage,” one of them said.. Police said they are examining factors such as possible overspeeding, driver fatigue, road conditions, and any mechanical issues with the bus. 

 As Iran’s war with US-Israel disrupts global energy flows due to the impact of drones and missiles on the entire oil-rich Gulf region, many countries, including India, are facing one of a major fuel crisis in decades.. Domestic LPG cylinders at a gas agency, in Rajghat, in Delhi (Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times). In India, the government has been pushing people to opt for PNG (piped natural gas) over LPG (liquified petroleum gas) cylinders amid the chokehold on key waterway Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world’s gas and fuel requirements travel, due to the Middle East conflict sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.. The government of India recently issued an order under which it said LPG supply will be snapped for those not opting for PNG if a switch is available.. With the government promoting PNG, it is important to first understand the difference between pipeline gas (PNG) and LPG and where PNG comes from.. What is piped natural gas (PNG)?. Pipeline gas, or piped natural gas (PNG), is primarily natural gas (mostly methane) delivered directly to homes through underground pipelines. PNG is extracted naturally from gas fields and transported into India in liquified form as liquified natural gas (LNG).. LPG, on the other hand is refined (produced) in oil refineries from crude oil. Track latest in US-Iran war here. PNG flows continuously, not needing refilling and is supplied at low pressure via city gas networks.. Where does PNG come from?. Domestically, PNG in India comes from gas fields like the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin, Assam, and Tripura. The deepwater Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin off the eastern coast is reportedly the biggest contributor. Three fields in the KG basin, namely R Cluster, Satellites Cluster, and MJ, accounted for nearly 25 per cent of India’s total net production of 36 bcm in 2024, and are expected to produce a combined 85 bcm over their lifetime, according to an indiatoday.in report.. The Assam and Tripura basins have contributed nearly 47 per cent of India’s onshore production and 13 per cent of its total gas supply, per the report.. While imported natural gas (LNG) does come from the Middle East, primarily Qatar, other countries like the US and Australia also export LNG to India.. Why is PNG not hit as bad as LPG?. The government of India has been pushing households to shift from LPG cylinders to piped natural gas (PNG) largely because PNG is structurally more resilient in situations like the current Iran war-driven energy crisis. The key difference lies in how the two fuels are supplied.. LPG depends heavily on imports shipped from the Middle East, much of which passes through the strategically sensitive Strait of Hormuz, in which tankers have been targeted with drones and missiles recently. Any disruption there immediately affects tanker movement, leading to delays, shortages, and visible supply breakdowns-like empty cylinders and long waiting times.. An interactive on PNG and LPG amid Middle East conflict (Gem