Govt Notifies The Post Office Act 2023, Law To Modernise Postal Services

The Post Office Act, 2023 modernises India's postal services framework, enabling efficient delivery of citizen services and government benefits.

Representative Photo | The Post Office Act of 2023 simplifies the delivery of citizen-centric services and extends government benefits to remote areas, enhancing ease of living. ( Image Source :Getty Images )

The Government of India has enacted the Post Office Act, 2023 which aims to modernise India’s legislative framework for postal services and stamp duty. The new law, which came into effect today, aims to simplify the delivery of citizen-centric services and extend government benefits to the remotest corners of the country, enhancing the ease of living.

The Post Office Bill, 2023 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on 10 August 2023 and was passed in Rajya Sabha on 4 December 2023. The Bill was then considered and passed by Lok Sabha on 13 December 2023 and 18 December 2023.

Receiving the President's assent on 24 December 2023, the Act was published in the Gazette of India on the same day by the Ministry of Law & Justice (Legislative Department) for general information.

The Government of India has issued notification to give effect to the provisions of new Postal Law - The Post Office Act, 2023. The Post Office Act, 2023 has been enacted today. The Act aims to create a simple legislative framework, for delivery of citizen centric services and… pic.twitter.com/qIcxlKvkO6

— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2024

"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 Post Office Act, 2023 repeals the Indian Post Office Act, 1898.

Centre Proposes To Replace Archaic India Stamp Act, 1899

Besides this, the Centre has proposed to replace the existing India Stamp Act, 1899 with new Indian Stamp Bill, 2023. The Union Government on January 17, as a part of pre-legislative consultative process, released the draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ and invited suggestions from public in a prescribed proforma within a period of 30 days.

The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has prepared a draft ‘Indian Stamp Bill, 2023’ to align it with modern stamp duty regime.

The said bill is expected to pave the way for a modern stamp duty regime primarily by bringing in provisions for “digital e-stamping”. The proposed Bill is expected to facilitate ease of doing business by removing the colonial law and increase government's revenue.