Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation
Also called: PESO · Topic: Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) is the Central Government office that keeps dangerous materials safe. It sits under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Its main job is to give licences (official permission) for making, storing, moving and selling explosives, including firecrackers. Its powers come mainly from the Explosives Act, 1884. It also has safety duties for petroleum. No separate Act created PESO itself. It is a government office that carries out these laws, so it is a regulator, not an independent statutory body. PESO matters because a firecracker can be made or sold legally only with its licence.
Example
In its 15 October 2025 order (2025 INSC 1233), the Supreme Court allowed only certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR, sold from 18 to 20 October. It said that a violator would lose its PESO licence or NEERI registration. So PESO licensing was one of the main ways the order was enforced.
Don't confuse with
- CSIR-NEERI: NEERI tests and certifies a cracker's formulation (its chemical mix) as "green". PESO gives the explosives licence to make or sell it.
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB): CPCB sets pollution standards and checks air and water quality. PESO deals with explosives safety and licensing, not with measuring pollution.