Modi finally dumps land bill to clear way for GST bill and Bihar polls

Announcement against ordinance made during the PM’s direct address to people over radio

prahlad

Prahlad Rao | August 30, 2015 | New Delhi


#land bill   #narendra modi   #bihar elections   #mann ki baat   #radio  
Speaking directly to the people India, prime minister Narendra Modi today announced that the government will not re-promulgate the land acquisition ordinance which expires tomorrow and declared readiness to accept any suggestions to benefit the farmers in the pending bill on it.
 
The government had issued the ordinance thrice so far as the land bill could not be passed in parliament due to stiff resistance by most of the opposition parties as well as some ruling NDA allies. Land acquisition is a necessary component for fulfilling the development and job-oriented promises made by Modi and the announcement in his radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, is a definite climb down for the government. 
 
The government may use this land bill concession as a bargaining chip to get the GST bill (goods and services tax) passed in parliament. Bihar elections may have also dictated the government rethink on the land bill.
 
"I have said it earlier also. The government has an open mind on the Land Acquisition Bill, about which there is a lot of controversy. I have said it again and again that I am ready to accept any suggestion for the benefit of farmers,” Modi said on Sunday.
 
“We had promulgated an ordinance on land acquisition bill which will expire tomorrow. I have decided that it should be allowed to expire. It means restoration of the situation that prevailed before my government took over,” the prime minister said. 
 
Modi, during his 20-minute address, maintained that the suggestions for “improving” upon the Land Act of 2013 had come from states who believed that for the welfare of farmers, there should be canals to bring irrigation water, electric poles for electricity, roads, houses and poor villagers should get work and “we should free this law from the clutches of the bureaucracy”. However, after the government brought the land bill, “a lot of misapprehension was created and so much of fear was instilled among the farmers. The farmers should neither have doubts nor have any fear and I will not give any such opportunity to anybody. … Now there is no cause for any doubt and if anybody tries to create fear, you should not be scared,” he said.
 
Modi said the government had incorporated 13 aspects of village development in the ordinance for the welfare of villages but the matter got complicated because of controversies. Now, since the Ordinance is being allowed to expire, the government notified rules for these 13 aspects which will come into effect from today to address this “incomplete work”. “We are doing this so that the farmers do not stand to lose, including financially,” the Prime Minister said. “I want to assure the farmers that for us, ‘jai jawan, jai kisan’ is not just a slogan but our ‘mantra’. That is why I announced creation of a ministry for farmers’ welfare during my Independence Day address,” he said.
 
 Government, in a bid to wriggle out of the contentious land ordinance, could use a clause to remove difficulty to bring 13 central acts under the ambit of land acquisition law or RFCTLARR (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act) without going in for a fresh executive order.
 
The union rural development ministry had  issued a notification saying “as per the provisions of article 123 of the Constitution, the RFCTLARR (Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2015 (5 of 2015) shall lapse on the 31st August, 2015, thereby placing the land owners at the disadvantageous position, resulting in denial of benefits of enhanced compensation and rehabilitation and resettlement to the cases of land acquisition under the 13 Acts specified in the Fourth Schedule to the RFCTLARR Act as extended to the land owners under the said ordinance. Therefore, since the central government considers it necessary to extend the benefits available to the land owners under the RFCTLARR Act to similarly placed land owners whose lands are acquired under the 13 central enactments specified in the Fourth Schedule, the government has decided to uniformly apply the beneficial provisions of Section 105 of the RFCTLARR Act relating to the determination of compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement as were made applicable to cases of land acquisition under the said enactments in the interest of the land owners”.
 
The 13 Central enactments in fourth schedule include the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, Atomic Energy Act, Damodar Valley Corporation Act, Indian Tramways Act, Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, The National Highways Act, Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Act, Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, Resettlement of Displaced Persons (Land Acquisition) Act, Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act,  Electricity Act and Railways Act.
 
Modi also said the recent Gujarat violence over the quota issue had upset the entire nation and asked the people to work together to resolve all problems through development. 
 
"The recent incidents of violence in Gujarat have upset the entire nation. Whatever happens to the land of Gandhi and Sardar Patel, the nation is shocked and pained first," he said in his radio programme.
 
"Peace, unity and brotherhood are the only correct way and we have to walk together on the path of development as only it is the solution of our problems," he said.
 
Appreciating the people of Gujarat, Modi said their cooperation helped in controlling the situation. "In a very short time, my Gujarati brothers and sisters controlled the situation. They played an active role and did not let the situation worsen and peace was restored in the state.”

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter