“A land acquisition will only be successful when farmers are involved in determining the value of the land and the social package to be given to them in lieu of their land,” said Arun Jaitley, the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, at a seminar titled 'Development vs Displacement' organised in Delhi by the Bharatiya Janata Party's economic cell on Tuesday.

Jaitley referred to the model of Gujarat, a state which has the maximum number of SEZs but has had the least protests by those whose land has been acquired. The state-owned Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) acquires land only with the “consent” of the concerned farmers, pays them at the prevailing market price, and gives them a share in the higher price after the infrastructural development. The market price of each piece of land is decided by the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University. Besides getting the market price, the farmers are also paid later 10 percent of the price secured from the industries allotted to the developed plot. One per cent holding of the developed plots is also given back to the original land-owning farmer for the purpose of commercial activities.

The BJP leader demanded that the centre come up with a land acquisition bill and social package at the earliest. He said this would require study of successful models across the world. According to him, the land acquisition policy must cater to the following four issues:
a) How to determine the real value of the land?
b) How to give a share to the landowners in the profit that would accrue from the developmental project?
c) How to determine the annuity to be given to the farmers?
d) How to guarantee a job to one of the family members of the landowners?