New Boilers Bill to replace century-old law introduced in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: The Boilers Bill, 2024 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to replace the century-old Boilers Act, 1923.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 2, had approved the repealing of the existing Boilers Act and the introduction of the Boilers Bill, 2024 in Parliament.

The new bill to replace a 100-year-old law aims to improve trust by decriminalising 3 out of 7 offences and ensuring speedy redressal for all non-criminal offences. Besides, obsolete provisions have been removed to enhance the Ease of Doing Business, according to a statement issued by the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

The re-enacted legislation meets the current requirements of stakeholders including industry, personnel working on/with boilers and implementers in the country and is as per need in the current times, the statement said. The bill has been drafted as per modern drafting practices to give more clarity to its provisions.

The similar provisions, which were at different places in the 1923 act, have been grouped together in six chapters for easier reading and understanding of the Act. All the functions/powers of the Central government, state governments and the Central Boilers Board have been enumerated in detail to avoid any confusion.

For Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), the Bill will benefit boiler users, including those in the MSME sector, as provisions related to decriminalisation have been incorporated in the Bill. Out of the seven offences, to ensure the safety of boilers and personnel dealing with boilers, in four major offences which may result in loss of life and property, criminal penalties are retained. For other offences, provision is being made for a fiscal penalty. Moreover, for all non-criminal offences, 'fine' has been converted into 'penalty' to be levied through executive mechanism instead of courts as existed earlier, the statement said.

The proposed bill will enhance safety as specific provisions have been made in the Bill to ensure the safety of persons working inside a boiler and that repair of the boiler is undertaken by qualified and competent persons, the statement added.

The Centre is examining all the pre-Constitution Acts from the point of view of their suitability and relevance in the current times. The Boilers Act, 1923, a pre-constitution Act, deals with the safety of life and property. Hence, it is important to continue with the enactment by reviewing the provisions of the existing Act and introducing a new Boilers Bill, 2024 in Parliament, the official statement said. The existing Act has been reviewed and redundant/obsolete provisions have been omitted while certain substantive enabling provisions have been made for the rules and regulations which were not earlier provided, the statement added.