The story so far: The Rajya Sabha on December 4 passed the Post Office Bill, 2023, that seeks to replace the colonial-era Indian Post Office Act, 1898. According to the government, the legislation is an attempt to ensure the effective functioning of the Postal Department as a messenger service and as a provider of banking facilities.
Initiating the discussion on the Bill in the Lok Sabha on December 13, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor raised concerns that the provision in the Bill that allows the Centre to intercept, open, or detain any postal item lacks safeguards and is centered around an “ambiguous definition”. Other Opposition leaders also opposed the Bill for violating the right to privacy and encouraging state surveillance.
While introducing the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications and Information and Broadcasting, said: “There was a time when it was thought that the 125-year-old institution would become irrelevant, especially during the time of the UPA government. Over the last nine years, however, the way the institution has been revived is reflected in this new Bill. The institution has been transformed from just mail delivery to service delivery.” While 660 post offices were closed earlier, around 5,000 offices were opened between 2014 and 2023, and about 5,746 new ones are in the process of being opened, he added.
