Andhra Pradesh Legislative Reforms 2026

Relevance: Governance, Disaster Management

Why in News?

Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed three important Bills during its legislative session on March 4, 2026. These Bills introduce major changes to state governance, public employment, and safety regulations.

Andhra Pradesh (Regulation of Appointments to Public Services and Rationalisation of Staff Pattern and Pay Structure) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025

The Bill was introduced to provide a government job (Junior Assistant) on compassionate grounds to the son of Thota Chandraiah, a victim of political violence in Palnadu district. Under the original 1994 Act, all public service appointments in Andhra Pradesh must follow a strict process:

Recruitment through the State Public Service Commission.
Selection via a formal Selection Committee.
Nomination through the Employment Exchange.

Since the 1994 Act did not have a provision for “compassionate appointment due to political violence,” the government introduced this amendment to create a legal bypass for such specific cases.

Key Legal and Constitutional Aspects

A. Amendment to Section 4(2)

Section 4 of the 1994 Act regulates how people are recruited into public services. The Second Amendment Bill, 2025, specifically modifies sub-section (2) to allow the government to make appointments based on a special resolution of the Council of Ministers, bypassing the competitive exam/employment exchange route.

B. Article 200 of the Constitution

As mentioned in the report, the Bill will be sent to the Governor for assent under Article 200. The Governor has four options:

Give assent to the Bill.
Withhold assent.
Return the Bill (if it is not a Money Bill) for reconsideration.
Reserve the Bill for the consideration of the President.

C. Compassionate Appointment vs. Article 16

Article 16 of the Constitution guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. However, the Supreme Court has ruled in various cases that “compassionate appointments” are a valid exception to the general rule of merit, provided they are intended to help a family overcome sudden financial crisis due to the death of a breadwinner.

Merits and Concerns

Feature	Details
Social Justice	Provides immediate financial security to families affected by “extreme political violence.”
Deterrence	The government argues that supporting victims helps delegitimize factional violence and protects society.
Executive Discretion	Critics often argue that such amendments give the Council of Ministers significant power to bypass standard recruitment rules, which could potentially lead to favouritism if not strictly regulated.
Administrative Efficiency	While it helps the individual, frequent amendments to the 1994 Act (which was originally designed to curb irregular appointments) may affect the “rationalisation of staff pattern” mentioned in the Act’s title.

Andhra Pradesh Fire Service (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed this Bill on March 4, 2026, to modernize the 26-year-old Fire Service Act. The primary goal is to align state laws with the Central Government’s ‘Model Bill to Provide for Maintenance of a Fire & Emergency Service, 2019’.

It transitions the fire department from a mere “regulatory body” to a proactive “Emergency Service” capable of handling rapid urbanization, especially in the capital region of Amaravati.

Key Provisions of the Bill

A. Shift from NOC to FSC

The traditional No Objection Certificate (NOC) is replaced by the Fire Safety Certificate (FSC).
Significance: This streamlines the approval process for buildings, making it more user-friendly and consistent with national standards.

B. Redefining High-Rise Buildings

The Bill adopts the definition of high-rise buildings as per local municipal laws.
It introduces safety mechanisms specifically for “Super High-Rise Buildings” currently under construction in Amaravati.
All safety standards must now comply with the National Building Code (NBC) of 2025.

C. Appointment of Fire Safety Supervisors

In line with the Model Fire Force Bill, the post of Fire Safety Supervisor has been created.
Role: They are responsible for the regular maintenance and quality control of fire safety installations (like sprinklers and alarms) within buildings.

D. Increased Penalties and Enforcement

The Bill drastically increases fines to act as a stronger deterrent against safety violations:

Standard Fines: Increased from ₹500 to ₹10,000.
Daily Default Fines: Increased from ₹100 per day to ₹1,000 per day.
Extreme Measures: The government now has the statutory power to seize buildings that blatantly violate fire safety norms.

What is the Jan Vishwas Bill?

The A.P. Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, is a landmark legislative reform aimed at decriminalizing minor offences. Inspired by the Central Government’s Jan Vishwas Act of 2023, this State Bill seeks to replace imprisonment with monetary penalties for technical and procedural defaults across multiple state laws.

The core philosophy behind this Bill is “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” and promoting a culture of trust between the state and its citizens.

Key Objectives of the Bill

The primary reasons for introducing this amendment include:

Ease of Doing Business: Reducing the “fear of imprisonment” for small business owners and investors over minor regulatory lapses.
Reducing Judicial Burden: By converting criminal offences into compoundable civil wrongs, the Bill aims to reduce the massive backlog of cases in lower courts.
Rationalizing Penalties: Updating fines to reflect modern economic realities while ensuring they are “graded” (scaled) based on the severity of the default.
Cleaning the Statute Book: Repealing obsolete laws that are no longer relevant to current administrative needs.

Core Features of the Reform

The Bill introduces several modern legal mechanisms to handle defaults:

Decriminalization: Substituting jail terms with financial penalties for “technical” violations (e.g., filing a report late).
Administrative Adjudication: Setting up internal department mechanisms to decide on penalties instead of dragging every matter to a criminal court.
Compounding of Offences: Allowing an accused person to pay a fine and settle the matter without a full trial, saving time and resources.
Repeal of Obsolete Laws: Specifically targets the removal of outdated drainage cess acts from 1985 and 1986.

Scope: Affected Acts

The Bill amends over 12 different State enactments to ensure uniformity in how minor offences are treated. Key areas include:

Urban Governance: A.P. Municipalities Act, CRDA Act, and Metropolitan Region Development Acts.
Social & Economic: A.P. Excise Act, A.P. Prohibition Act, and Land Reforms Act.
Industrial & Agriculture: A.P. Industrial Corridor Development Act and various Dairy/Bovine breeding acts.
Safety: A.P. Fire Service Act (complementing the 2026 Fire Service Amendment).

Conclusion

Together, these three Bills represent a major shift in state governance. The government is moving towards a “trust-based” model. By helping victims of violence, upgrading emergency safety standards, and treating minor business mistakes as civil errors rather than crimes, the state aims to improve the overall ease of living for its citizens.

CARE MCQ

Q) Consider the following statements about the three Bills passed by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in March 2026:

The A.P. Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 removes jail time for minor technical mistakes and replaces it with financial fines to improve the Ease of Doing Business.
The A.P. Fire Service (Amendment) Bill, 2026 officially makes the fire department an ‘Emergency Service’ and replaces No Objection Certificates (NOCs) with Fire Safety Certificates (FSCs).
The Public Services (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 removes all exceptions and states that every government job must now be filled only through a competitive examination.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 3
D. 1 and 3 only

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Explanation

Statement 1 – Correct

The A.P. Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 aims to improve the business environment.
It decriminalizes minor technical offences and replaces imprisonment with monetary penalties, supporting the goal of Ease of Doing Business.

Statement 2 – Correct

The A.P. Fire Service (Amendment) Bill, 2026 declares the fire department as an Emergency Service.
It also replaces the earlier NOC system with Fire Safety Certificates (FSCs) to simplify regulatory procedures.

Statement 3 – Incorrect

The Public Services (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 does not remove all exceptions.
It actually allows special exemptions from competitive examinations, such as compassionate appointments or cases approved by the Council of Ministers.

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