 "Lok Sabha clears Land Acquisition Bill")
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday cleared the contentious land acquisition Bill, along with nine amendments proposed by the government. Though these amendments convinced some National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners to come on board, they failed to appease the Congress and most other Opposition parties, which walked out at the time of voting on the Bill.
However, in a reversal for the government, the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha forced the government to agree to refer the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, to a select committee for scrutiny. For the government, in a minority in the Upper House, this is an indication of the fate that awaits the land Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition complained the government’s amendments didn’t accommodate key concerns such as doing away with the provisions of the 2013 Act relating to the consent clause and social impact assessment. Registering its protest, the Shiv Sena, part of the NDA, abstained from voting against several amendments moved by the Opposition. The amendment of another ally, the Swabhimani Paksha, relating to the consent clause was negated by the MPs of the ruling coalition. The Sena termed the Bill “anti-farmer”; it is likely to abstain from voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, too. However, NDA partners such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), earlier opposed to the Bill, came on board after the amendments were announced.
In the morning, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Rural Development Minister Birender Singh briefed NDA MPs on the amendments proposed by the government. Following this, the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, was resumed.
The Congress termed the amendments to the Bill “superficial”. It had sought either the 2013 Act be retained or some of the 52 amendments moved by the Opposition, such as that on the consent clause, be accommodated. The Opposition demanded the Bill be referred to a standing committee. Along with the Congress, other Opposition parties, including the Janata Dal Parivar, the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress, are set to force the government to refer it to a select committee in the Upper House.
The Biju Janata Dal, while it staged a walkout with the Opposition parties, withdrew some of its amendments in light of the amendments proposed by the government.
These included specifying only land up to one km on either side of a railway line or highway can be acquired for industrial corridors. The list of exempted categories omitted social infrastructure. According to the amendments, the Bill will no longer cover land acquisition for private hospitals and schools. Any government will have to ensure only the least required land is acquired for a project; it will also have to carry out a survey of the wasteland and maintain records on it. According to another amendment, compulsory employment will be provided to at least one member of a family of a ‘farm labourer’. Also, hearings or grievance redressal will be held in the district in which the land acquisition is carried out.
During the debate on the Bill, Chirag Paswan of the LJP, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said following the amendments, his party had decided to support the Bill. Ranjit Singh Brahmpura of the Shiromani Akali Dal, an NDA member, maintained the consent of landowners should be made mandatory for any land acquisition.
The party later came on board in terms of agreeing to the provisions of the Bill. Other allies such as the Telugu Desam Party and Apna Dal supported the government on the Bill. Replying to the debate, Birender Singh said the NDA government wouldn’t do anything that was anti-farmer. He said the government had addressed concerns that multi-crop land would be acquired only as the last resort and said social impact assessment was for state governments to decide on.
The minister said a false notion was being created that the amendments to the Bill would hurt farmers and rob them of their livelihoods. “But the fact is it is through the old land acquisition Act, Opposition parties want the farmers to remain poor and deprived, while we want them to join the development process,” he said.
However, in a reversal for the government, the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha forced the government to agree to refer the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, to a select committee for scrutiny. For the government, in a minority in the Upper House, this is an indication of the fate that awaits the land Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
In the Lok Sabha, the Opposition complained the government’s amendments didn’t accommodate key concerns such as doing away with the provisions of the 2013 Act relating to the consent clause and social impact assessment. Registering its protest, the Shiv Sena, part of the NDA, abstained from voting against several amendments moved by the Opposition. The amendment of another ally, the Swabhimani Paksha, relating to the consent clause was negated by the MPs of the ruling coalition. The Sena termed the Bill “anti-farmer”; it is likely to abstain from voting on it in the Rajya Sabha, too. However, NDA partners such as the Shiromani Akali Dal and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), earlier opposed to the Bill, came on board after the amendments were announced.
In the morning, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Rural Development Minister Birender Singh briefed NDA MPs on the amendments proposed by the government. Following this, the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, was resumed.
The Congress termed the amendments to the Bill “superficial”. It had sought either the 2013 Act be retained or some of the 52 amendments moved by the Opposition, such as that on the consent clause, be accommodated. The Opposition demanded the Bill be referred to a standing committee. Along with the Congress, other Opposition parties, including the Janata Dal Parivar, the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress, are set to force the government to refer it to a select committee in the Upper House.
The Biju Janata Dal, while it staged a walkout with the Opposition parties, withdrew some of its amendments in light of the amendments proposed by the government.
These included specifying only land up to one km on either side of a railway line or highway can be acquired for industrial corridors. The list of exempted categories omitted social infrastructure. According to the amendments, the Bill will no longer cover land acquisition for private hospitals and schools. Any government will have to ensure only the least required land is acquired for a project; it will also have to carry out a survey of the wasteland and maintain records on it. According to another amendment, compulsory employment will be provided to at least one member of a family of a ‘farm labourer’. Also, hearings or grievance redressal will be held in the district in which the land acquisition is carried out.
During the debate on the Bill, Chirag Paswan of the LJP, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said following the amendments, his party had decided to support the Bill. Ranjit Singh Brahmpura of the Shiromani Akali Dal, an NDA member, maintained the consent of landowners should be made mandatory for any land acquisition.
The party later came on board in terms of agreeing to the provisions of the Bill. Other allies such as the Telugu Desam Party and Apna Dal supported the government on the Bill. Replying to the debate, Birender Singh said the NDA government wouldn’t do anything that was anti-farmer. He said the government had addressed concerns that multi-crop land would be acquired only as the last resort and said social impact assessment was for state governments to decide on.
The minister said a false notion was being created that the amendments to the Bill would hurt farmers and rob them of their livelihoods. “But the fact is it is through the old land acquisition Act, Opposition parties want the farmers to remain poor and deprived, while we want them to join the development process,” he said.
| TILLING THE LAND BILL |
Amendments made in the Lok Sabha
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