Puducherry Assembly passes Jan Vishwas, Higher Education Council Bills

The Puducherry Assembly on Thursday passed the Puducherry Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 and Puducherry Higher Education Council Bill, 2025 after presentation of Vote on Account.

Both the bills were introduced in the House by Home Minister A. Namassivayam. An official source told The Hindu that the Jan Vishwas legislation was aimed to strengthen trust-based governance in the Union Territory. Through the Act, 47 provisions relating to minor, technical, and procedural defaults are being amended across 13 Acts under five departments. 

The Act, according to the official, would help in reducing criminal proceedings and introduces a system of monetary penalties with officer-based penalty determination. Further, imprisonment provisions in two enactments have been removed, ensuring that minor violations do not result in custodial punishment, he added. 

“The legislation will simplify compliance and enhance ease of doing business in Puducherry,” he said. The Bill on higher education sector would pave way for the creation of an autonomous council. The establishment of the council was as per the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan guidelines. 

The council would serve as an advisory body to the government to promote academic excellence, ensure inclusiveness and improve accessibility in the higher education sector, the official said.