Rajya Sabha recently passed the Post Office Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the colonial-era Indian Post Office Act of 1898 that has governed India's postal services for 125 years.
Opposition parties alleged it was against federal principles. Aam Aadmi Partys Raghav Chadha said that the bill does not lay down any procedures for interception or opening letters of packages, calling the legislation as act of surveillance.
As for the provision to allow officers to intercept items, Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for communications, electronics and IT, told Parliament it was in the interest of national security.
In a society which is as complex and diverse, and times which are as difficult as they are, it is very important that interception is done. This kind of a provision is kept for national security," he said during discussions on the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
There is no provision to privatise post offices, he added. The Bill will empower the director general of postal services to frame regulations.
The Post Office Bill, 2023, seeks to repeal the 125-year-old Indian Post Office Act and consolidate and amend the law relating to post offices in the country.
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