The Central Government has announced the date on which a key provision of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 will come into effect. The provision in question, serial number 5 in the Schedule of the Act, pertains to amendments to the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937. This notification was issued on July 31, 2024.
The Central Government has appointed the July 31, 2024 as the official day on which this crucial amendment will be enforced. The decision underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing and modernizing the regulatory landscape to address contemporary challenges in the realm of grading and marking of agricultural produce.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 has reduced the punishment given to a person who marks any scheduled article with a grade designation mark without authorization, or counterfeits any grade designation mark or sells sells any scheduled article which is misgraded.
Prior to the an Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, the punishment for such offences would be imprisonment for various terms ranging from 6 months to 3 years. Now by this Act, these punishments have been eliminated.
