Power to exempt in special cases

Section 29B of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 deals with power to exempt in special cases. ] If the Central Government is of opinion, having regard to the smallness of the number of workers employed or to the amount invested in any industrial undertaking or to the desirability of encouraging small undertakings generally or to the stage of development of any scheduled industry, that it wou The Act was enacted on 31 Oct 1951.

¹[29B. Power to exempt in special cases.--²[(1)] If the Central Government is of opinion, having regard to the smallness of the number of workers employed or to the amount invested in any industrial undertaking or to the desirability of encouraging small undertakings generally or to the stage of development of any scheduled industry, that it would not be in public interest to apply all or any of the provisions of this Act thereto, it may, by notification in the Official Gazette, exempt, subject to such conditions as it may think fit to impose, any industrial undertaking or class of industrial undertakings or any scheduled industry or class of scheduled industries as it may specify in the notification from the operation of all or any of the provisions of this Act or of any rule or order made thereunder.

³[(2) Where any notification under sub-section (1) granting any exemption is cancelled, no owner of any industrial undertaking to which the provisions of section 10, section 11, section 11A or clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 13 would have applied, if the notification under sub-section (1) had not been issued, shall carry on the business of the undertaking after the expiry of such period as may be specified in the notification cancelling the exemption except under and in accordance with a licence issued in this behalf by the Central Government and, in the case of a State Government, except under and in accordance with the previous permission of the Central Government.

⁴[(2A) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of sub-section (1), the Central Government may, if it is satisfied, after considering the recommendations made to it by the Advisory Committee constituted under sub-section (2B), that it is necessary so to do for the development and expansion of ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings, by notified order, direct that any article or class of articles specified in the First Schedule shall, on and from such date as may be specified in the notified order (hereafter in this section referred to as the "date of reservation"), be reserved for exclusive production by the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings (hereafter in this section referred to as "reserved article").

(2B) The Central Government shall, with a view to determining the nature of any article or class of articles that may be reserved for production by the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings, constitute an Advisory Committee consisting of such persons as have, in the opinion of that Government, the necessary expertise to give advice on the matter.

(2C) The Advisory Committee shall, after considering the following matters, communicate its recommendations to the Central Government, namely:--

(a) the nature of any article or class of articles which may be produced economically by the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings;

(b) the level of employment likely to be generated by the production of such article or class of articles by the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings;

(c) the possibility of encouraging and diffusing entrepreneurship in industry;

(d) the prevention of concentration of economic power to the common detriment; and

(e) such other matters as the Advisory Committee may think fit.

(2D) The production of any reserved article or class of reserved articles by any industrial undertaking (not being an ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertaking) which, on the date of reservation, is engaged in, or has taken effective steps for, the production of any reserved article or class of reserved articles, shall, after the commencement of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 1984 (4 of 1984), or, as the case may be, the date of reservation, whichever is later, be subject to such conditions as the Central Government may, by notified order, specify.

(2E) While specifying any condition under sub-section (2D), the Central Government may take into consideration the level of production of any reserved article or class of reserved articles achieved, immediately before the date of reservation, by the industrial undertaking referred to in sub-section (2D), and such other factors as may be relevant.

(2F) Every person or authority, not being the Central Government, who, or which, is registered under section 10 or to whom, or to which, a licence has been issued or permission has been granted under section 11 for the production of any article or class of articles which has, or have, been subsequently reserved for the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings, shall produce, such registration certificate, licence or permission, as the case may be, within such period as the Central Government may,by notified order, specify in this behalf, and the Central Government may enter therein all or any of the conditions specified by it under sub-section (2D), including the productive capacity of the industrial undertakings and other prescribed particulars.

(2G) The owner of every industrial undertaking (not being an ancillary or small scale, industrial undertaking) which, immediately before the commencement of the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 1984 (4 of 1984), or the date of reservation, whichever is later,--

(a) was engaged in the production of any article or class of articles, which has, or have, been reserved for the ancillary, or small scale, industrial undertakings, or

(b) had before such commencement or before the date of such reservation, as the case may be, taken effective steps for commencing the production of such reserved article or class of reserved articles,

without being registered under section 10 or in respect of which a licence or permission has not been issued under section 11, shall refrain from the production of such reserved article or class of reserved articles, on and from the date of expiry of three months from such commencement or from the date of such reservation, whichever is later.

(2H) Every notified order made under sub-section (2A) shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days, which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the notified order or both Houses agree that the notified order should not be made, the notified order shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that notified order.]

(3) The provisions of this Act shall apply, so far as may be, in relation to the issue of a licence or permission to any industrial undertaking referred to in sub-section (2) as they apply in relation to the issue of a licence or permission to a new industrial undertaking.]]

Section 29B, The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951 (Act 65 of 1951).