Rajasthan will ‘amalgamate’, consolidate 86 Acts into 16

While the Acts had been repealed, the process to repeal the concerned rules is nearing closure, Verma said, adding that there are 70 such rules which are in the process of being repealed.

The laws which were retained were also examined for consolidation, and hence, 86 such acts were found suitable for consolidation. Officials, however, suggested that while the process of repealing was completed in about six months, the amalgamation or consolidation of acts is more cumbersome and is expected to be completed only by February next year.

[related-post]

Last month, NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy had also met Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for the current phase of “consolidation and harmonisation” of law reforms. Officials informed that the CM emphasised that rationalising the laws would ultimately make things “more convenient for the common man.” Officials said that along with Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (MJSA), grievance redressal is one of the key focus areas of the CM, which thus involves bringing in law reforms.

As per a case study of last year’s repealing of acts, by Debroy himself, as many as 54 laws were concerned with land, revenue, tenancy, agriculture, agricultural produce, livestock, animal husbandry, property and eviction, while 46 were concerned with administration and development of areas, and 32 were related to tax, excise, grants, tariff, finance, duty, among others.

In the meeting, IIM-Bangalore’s Decision Sciences and Information Systems Area Professor Pulak Ghosh had also underlined the importance of employing digital data towards reforms.

“It is the only state where the exercise is being undertaken without the constitution of law commission, through the Administrative Reforms Department. And it is for the first time since Independence that 61 principal acts relating to 18 departments have been repealed in one go. More importantly, last bill of repeal of principal act was passed in the state in 1962,” Verma said.

While the second phase is scheduled for completion before state budget next year, a third and final phase of reforms will then be initiated. This phase will involve rewriting of the remaining acts — which have survived repeal and amalgamation — as they have “several provisions” which are not “relevant.” On the last phase, the CM had termed it “tricky” and requiring “wide consultations with all stakeholders.”