Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 : Apprentices Act, 1961

By Notification S.O. 3185(E) dated 17 June 2026, the Central Government has appointed 22 June 2026 as the date from which the amendment to the Apprentices Act, 1961 — made through Serial No. 29 of the Schedule to the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 (Act No. 8 of 2026) — comes into force.

The amendment changes how certain employer defaults are enforced, not what employers are required to do. Substantive apprenticeship obligations, and all rights and entitlements of apprentices, remain unchanged.

Why a separate notification was needed

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 received the President’s assent on 7 April 2026. It amends a large number of Central Acts to reduce criminalisation of minor and procedural defaults, promote ease of doing business, and encourage voluntary compliance in place of prosecution.

The Act does not take effect all at once. It comes into force on dates the Central Government appoints by notification, and different dates may be appointed for the amendments relating to different Acts listed in its Schedule. The Government has been notifying these enactment by enactment. This notification switches on the portion relating to the Apprentices Act, with effect from 22 June 2026.

What actually changes

Position until 21 June 2026. Specified offences under the Apprentices Act — for example, refusing to furnish required information or returns, or requiring an apprentice to work overtime — were punishable with a fine imposed through court proceedings. These were already monetary-fine offences; imprisonment for such employer defaults had been removed by an earlier amendment, so this was not a jail-risk regime.

Position from 22 June 2026. These offences move to a graded, three-stage enforcement model:

1. First contravention — advisory. A designated authority issues an advisory notice.
2. Second contravention — warning. A written warning is issued.
3. Subsequent contravention — civil penalty. A monetary penalty (as prescribed) may be imposed.

Penalties are decided by a designated adjudicating officer through an administrative inquiry — not by a criminal court — and an establishment aggrieved by a penalty order has a right of appeal to an appellate authority.

Net effect. The mode of enforcement changes. A first or second procedural lapse now triggers a corrective advisory or warning and an opportunity to comply, with a monetary penalty reserved for repeat default and resolved administratively rather than through a court trial. The underlying compliance obligations are unchanged.

Practical impact for establishments

What eases:

• Lower exposure for one-off or first-time procedural lapses — an advisory or warning precedes any penalty.
• Enforcement shifts to administrative adjudication, avoiding lengthy court proceedings.
• A clear, staged route to resolve compliance gaps before they escalate.

What does not change — obligations continue in full:

• Register apprenticeship contracts.
• Pay stipends on time.
• Maintain apprentice records.
• Meet training requirements.
• Submit returns and other statutory information as required.

Repeated or continued default still attracts a monetary penalty. Note also that this notification is separate from the September 2025 notification (S.O. 4072(E)) that widened the range of industries and establishments required to engage apprentices — that coverage obligation continues to apply in full.

Impact on apprentices

None. The amendment does not affect:

• Training rights,
• Stipend entitlement,
• Practical assessment and theory examination requirements,
• Certificate issuance and SSC assessment rules,
• NAPS / NATS portal procedures.

It governs only the manner in which employer defaults are enforced.

Please find attached the official notification:

 Serial No. 29 of the Schedule, which amends the Apprentices Act, 1961