New Delhi: The Parliament on Wednesday passed the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 with Rajya Sabha clearing the legislation with voice vote.
The bill seeks to scrap 76 obsolete and unnecessary laws.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023.
Replying to the discussion on the bill, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the Modi government had earlier scrapped 1,486 obsolete laws and with 76 more such laws being killed the total number of bills removed from statute book would now reach 1,562.
He said that the removal of unnecessary and irrelevant laws promotes ease of living and ease of doing business for citizens.
On the suggestion of DMK member P Wilson that the laws should have sunset clauses to ensure that they automatically get scrapped after they become irrelevant, the Minister said that the government would consider the suggestion.
“Sunset clause is under consideration of the government,” the Minister said, adding that consultation on the same is underway.
He, however, suggested that it would not be easy.
“Laws cannot have natural death. To kill them we have to come to Parliament,” he said in Hindi.
Among the laws which are proposed to be scrapped by the present bill are the Sugar-cane Act, 1934, the Telegraph Wires (Unlawful Possession) Act, 1950 and the Metal Corporation of India (Acquisition of Undertaking) Act, 1965.
Participating in the discussion on the bill, KR Suresh Reddy of BRS said that the government should consult all concerned stakeholders before bringing the legislation and it should also get a post-implementation impact assessment done.
As many as eight members of the Upper House spoke on the bill and presented their views.
