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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst...

Modi’s ‘Melody’ diplomacy stuns the world

Overjoyed investors buy shares of a wrong company after the PM’s gift Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifting his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni 'Melody' toffees, reviving the light-hearted "Melodi" wordplay associated with the two leaders on social media. Meloni thanked Modi and shared a video on the social media in which she could be heard saying, “Prime Minister Modi brought as a gift, a very, very good toffee - Melody.” Modi, who was also seen in the video, burst into laughter as Meloni jokingly referred to the "Melody" toffee while showcasing the gift. The hashtag "Melodi", a blend of Modi and Meloni's names, was coined by the Italian prime minister during the COP28 in Dubai in 2023 and later went viral on social media following the warm interactions between the two leaders at global events. Modi, who arrived in Rome on Tuesday, is on the final leg of his five-nation tour to the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15-20. Modi’s gift not only floored the social media, but also earned gushing gratitude from the manufacturer of the sweet candy, Parle Products, in Vile Parle, Mumbai. “Thank You. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for taking Parle Melody to the global stage. A proud moment for all of us at Parle Products to see an Indian favourite being shared across borders,” said a social media post from @ParleFamily, a 97-year-old company. Parle Products describes Melody: “Parle Melody brings to you an irresistible layer of caramel on the outside & a delightful chocolate filling inside. Open & pop it in your mouth & relish the unique experience. It won't be too long before you start asking yourself the age-old question "Melody Itni Chocolaty Kyun Hai?”.” Cong Attacks Modi Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other Congress leaders also attacked Modi saying he continues his PR even when the economy is suffering. However, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal hit back at Gandhi, accusing him of "hating India" and refusing to tolerate the "global respect" the country has garnered under Modi's leadership. Gandhi, who is on a visit to his constituency Raebareli and Amethi, said on X, "This isn't leadership, it's a gimmick." At a time farmers, labourers, traders and others in the country are all in tears, the prime minister is laughing and making reels while BJP folks are clapping along, the former Congress president said in his post in Hindi. "An economic storm is raging over our heads, and our prime minister is busy handing out candies in Italy!" he said. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked Modi over issues of "rising" prices, unemployment, paper leaks, "dampening" investment and "sinking" Rupee, saying the prime minister continues his PR even as the economy is suffering. Shares turn sweet but the company was mistaken Shares of Parle Industries Ltd saw frenzied buying on Wednesday, surging five per cent to hit the upper circuit limit after Meloni posted the video. Investors wasted no time and flocked to the counter to buy the stock. Shares of the firm jumped to Rs 5.25 - the highest trading permissible limit for the day - on the BSE. On volume terms, 8.57 lakh shares of the firm were traded on the BSE during the day. But, there is a catch! Investors mistook Parle Industries for the maker of Melody toffees. Parle Products, the FMCG major, is the manufacturer of Melody toffees and is not listed on the stock exchanges. Parle Industries Ltd is a diversified commercial services provider, engaged in the business of infrastructure & real estate, and paper, waste paper and allied products. The history of swadeshi toffee is entwined with the country’s Independence and the company, House of Parle was founded in 1928 by Mohanlal Dayal Chauhan, a tailor from Pardi near Valsad, then part of the Bombay Province. As the country was flooded with imported sweets and confectionery, he decided to give it a ‘desi’ touch and flavour, and with a band of 12 workers, he launched the Parle products from a musty old warehouse near Vile Parle east station, when large parts areas of Vile Parle west were still marshes dotted with a few old bungalows and chawls. Later, he visited Germany to master the art of confectionery and returned with machinery worth Rs 60,000 to churn out simple sweets, toffees and locally flavoured Indian confections at affordable prices – willy-nilly challenging the imported British offerings. It was in 1983 that the chocolate Melody toffee. -WITH PTI

Why the Jan Vishwas Bill Could Make Life Easier

  • VNS
  • Apr 4
  • 3 min read

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 aims to remove criminal penalties from many laws and replace them with civil penalties to make governance more trust-based and business-friendly. The Bill changes 784 provisions across 80 Central laws and introduces a uniform administrative system for enforcement. Its goal is to improve regulatory efficiency, ease of living, and ease of doing business.


The Bill was developed through a detailed and evidence-based consultation process.A 24-member Select Committee held 49 meetings.Inputs were taken from different ministries, industry stakeholders, and experts.This ensured a balanced and credible approach to decriminalisation.


Removed criminal penalties from 183 provisions in 42 central laws. The new Bill proposes changes to 784 provisions across 80 Central Acts. Out of these, 717 provisions will be decriminalised. The remaining 67 provisions are aimed at improving ease of living for citizens.


The Bill provides relief to different sectors of the economy. In the pharmaceutical sector, changes to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, removed criminal penalties for minor procedural mistakes like not submitting returns or statements, which will help companies comply faster and reduce legal cases.


Minor Violations

The Bill removes imprisonment for minor civic violations under the Delhi Development Act, 1957 and the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994, making it easier for urban residents to comply with rules.


Changes to the National Highways Act, 1956 also simplify and rationalise penalties in the infrastructure and logistics sector. These reforms will reduce court cases, lower compliance costs, and create a more transparent and predictable regulatory system. This will support economic growth and improve ease of living.


The Bill also proposes changes to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to improve clarity and make compliance easier, such as allowing state-wide vehicle registration. The Bill clearly separates minor procedural violations from serious road safety offences. Only minor offences are decriminalised, and imprisonment is replaced with graded monetary penalties and administrative action. The law will still keep criminal punishment for offences that affect road safety and public welfare.


Less Compliance

The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026 supports the Make in India and Startup India initiatives by reducing compliance burden on businesses. India has over 2.12 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups, and the Bill will provide relief to this growing ecosystem. The government is allowing businesses to correct minor compliance mistakes instead of facing long legal cases. This will help businesses operate and grow more easily.


These reforms are especially important under the Legal Metrology Act, where small labelling or packaging mistakes earlier could lead to up to one year of imprisonment. Under the new system, these are treated as civil violations and businesses will be given a chance to correct them. With thousands of compliances already reduced and the number of companies increasing in recent years, these reforms will help entrepreneurs grow and innovate without fear of unnecessary legal action.


Less Pressure

India has improved its position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings and achieved record exports of $790.86 billion in FY 2025–26. These developments reflect India’s growing economic strength and global presence.


The Jan Vishwas framework creates an administrative adjudication system to reduce pressure on courts. With over 4.8 crore cases pending in courts, minor violations will be handled by Adjudicating Officers instead of courts. This could reduce the judicial workload by 25–30 per cent. It will allow courts to focus on serious crimes, while business disputes are resolved faster, reducing compliance costs and improving ease of doing business.


The Bill removes more than 700 criminal offences related to minor lapses, reducing imprisonment provisions and legal burden on citizens and businesses. It will also reduce pressure on the criminal justice system and allow regulatory bodies to handle such issues through administrative processes.


The previous Congress Government followed a license-quota system with complex regulations, which often led to corruption and middlemen interference. Over the last decade, the Modi Government has tried to remove this control-based regulatory system and simplify laws. One major example from the past was the 2012 retrospective tax amendment, which affected global companies like Vodafone and Cairn Energy, damaging India’s image as a reliable investment destination.


The Jan Vishwas 2026 reforms aim to end the era of regulatory harassment. The government is shifting from a system that treated minor mistakes as crimes to a trust-based governance model. The focus is now on correcting minor mistakes instead of punishing people with criminal charges. This approach supports honest entrepreneurs and citizens while promoting the idea of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.”

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