New Post Office Act 2023: The Post Office Act, 2023 was passed by the Indian government with the intention of updating the country’s laws pertaining to stamp duty and postal services. The new law, which went into effect yesterday (19 june 2024), intends to improve living conditions by streamlining the provision of citizen-centric services and bringing government benefits to even the most remote areas of the nation.
Introduction of the Bill
On August 10, 2023, the Post Office Bill, 2023 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha, and on December 4, 2023, it was passed. The Lok Sabha then took up and approved the Bill on December 13, 2023, and December 18, 2023. After receiving the President’s assent on December 24, 2023, the Ministry of Law & Justice (Legislative Department) published the Act in the Indian Gazette the same day for public consumption.
Legislative Framework and Citizen Services
“The Act aims to create a simple legislative framework for delivery of citizen centric services, banking services and benefits of Government schemes at the last mile. The Act does away with provisions such as the exclusive privilege of collecting, processing and delivering of letters, to enhance the ease of doing business and ease of living,” the Ministry of Communications stated.
“No penal provisions have been prescribed in the Act. This provides a framework for prescribing standards for addressing of the items, address identifiers and usage of postcodes,” it added. The Indian Post Office Act of 1898 is repealed by the Post Office Act of 2023.
Services to be provided by Post Office
- The Post Office is required to offer any services that the Central Government specifies.
- The Director General has the authority to establish regulations regarding the tasks required to carry out the services mentioned in subsection
- Any service rendered by the Post Office will be governed by any other laws that are currently in effect.
Authority to implement agreements with foreign nations
Rules to implement agreements reached with any foreign nation or territory for Post Office services between India and the mentioned nation or territory may be made by the Central Government.
Exemption from liability
- Apart from any liability that may be mandated in relation to a service the Post Office provides, and without respect to any other laws now in effect, the Post Office will not be held responsible for anything.
- No Post Office officer will be held accountable for a service they perform unless they intentionally or fraudulently cause a loss, delay, or incorrect delivery of the service.
In addition, the Center has suggested that the new Indian Stamp Bill, 2023, take the place of the current India Stamp Act, 1899. As part of the pre-legislative consultation process, the Union Government released the draft “Indian Stamp Bill, 2023” on January 17 and asked the public to provide comments on it using a pre-approved proforma within 30 days.
To bring the Indian stamp duty system into line with current practices, the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has drafted the “Indian Stamp Bill, 2023.”
