Terming the proposed amendments in land bill "well-considered" and "practical", Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today said the state will support the law as it ensures fair compensation to farmers.
Speaking here at the Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog, Patel also suggested that arrangements should be put in place to assist farmers in utilising the compensation amount to ensure their sustained benefit.
"The amendments proposed are well-considered and practical. The provision of mandatory employment to affected family shall ensure justice, prevent distress and provide a platform for social upliftment," Patel said.
The meeting was convened to elicit views of the states on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Amendment Bill, 2015.
"We support the measures that would reflect our motto of -- Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. Gujarat supports any move that ensures fair compensation to farmers whose lands are acquired," she said.
Pointing out that amendments to the Land Acquisition Act 2013 had become necessary only because of the time-consuming and complicated procedures, she said that inordinate delay in infrastructure projects do not benefit anybody.
She added that provisions relating to the exclusion of infrastructure projects from the long process of social impact assessment, and other procedures are beneficial to the larger interest.
The imperative of employment generation has also been accommodated by the amendment relating to industrial corridors whereas the relaxations accorded to projects for affordable housing will also benefit weaker sections of society, she said.
All these provisions ensure a judicious balance between the valid interests of landowners and required pace of nation's development, she noted.
Land alone cannot meet the livelihood needs of a farmer and require irrigation facility, power, access to markets as well as social and economic infrastructure, she said adding that land acquisition, thus, becomes necessary to fulfil these needs of our citizens, including farmers.
