Ministry proposes repeal of decades-old Acts
GS Paper - 2 (Polity)
The commerce ministry has proposed repeal of decades-old laws pertaining to tea, coffee, spices and rubber - and introduce new legislations with a view to promoting the growth of these sectors and creating a conducive environment for businesses.
What
- The ministry has sought views of the stakeholders on the drafts of the Spices (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022; Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022; Coffee (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022; Tea (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022.
- Public/stakeholders can send their comments on these four draft bills by 9 February 2022.
- In four separate office memoranda, the Department of Commerce has said it is proposing repeal of Tea Act, 1953; Spices Board Act, 1986; Rubber Act 1947; and Coffee Act 1942.
- It is proposed that" these acts are "repealed and a new legislation is enacted to reflect the present realities and objectives," according to the draft bills.
- The principal reason for proposing the repeal of the Tea Act is that there is a paradigm shift in the recent decade with respect to the way tea is grown, marketed and consumed and this necessitates amendment of the existing Act.
- According to the draft Spices (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022, there is a need to enable the Spices Board to provide focused attention across the entire supply chain of spices.