I/II. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/10-simple-facts-that-unravel-the-bone-of-contention-in-land-bill/1/421164.html
India 10 simple facts that unravel the bone of contention in Land Bill India Today New Delhi, February 26, 2015 | UPDATED 18:51 IST Opposition protests against Land Acquisition BillOpposition protests against Land Acquisition Bill The disagreement between the ruling BJP and the opposition on the issue of Land Acquisition Bill has threatened to throw the parliament into a disarray. Anna Hazare and his suporters have already begun a huge protest on the issue, while several political parties too have expressed their intentions to join the movement. Here are 10 facts that will help you understand this multifaceted issue. 1. The Land Acquisition Act, passed in 1894, allows the government to acquire private land for large-scale development projects like building roads & industries. 2. The parliament in 2013 passed "The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act" to repeal the nineteenth century act. 3. This was to ensure that land was acquired for strictly public welfare projects and land owners were adequately compensated, which would include monetary relief as well as proper rehabilitation. 4. The BJP has now introduced amendments to this act, which have been opposed by all political parties, including their ally Shiv Sena in the Rajya Sabha. 5. The BJP's argument has been that the UPA's land acquisition law makes it impractical to acquire land for any public purpose and endlessly delays infrastructure projects. 6. While the amendments were passed in the Lok Shabha where BJP enjoys a vast majority, it has been unable to pass this in the Rajya Sabha. It issued an ordinance to pass the changes in December 2014. 7. The amended act does not require consent from 80 percent of the land owners, if the purpose is for national security, defence, rural infrastructure, industrial corridors and housing for the poor. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is also not required for these projects. 8. This would mean that only the land owner would be compensated, since the SIA, used to track how many people depend on the land, is now being done away with. 9. The Congress, Left, Trinamool Congress, SP, BSP and JD-U have all opposed the government over provisions of the land ordinance calling it "anti-farmer" and aimed at "benefitting corporates". 10. BJP has denied allegations that the amended act is anti-poor and anti-farmer. It claimed that the bill has included 13 so far excluded Acts under the Land Acquisition Act, and land acquired from these existing legislation will also require the same form of rehabilitation and compensation. Note: The ordinance to amend the Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 came into force on January 1 and has to be passed in parliament in the ongoing budget session to be become an Act. The Congress and other opposition parties accused the government of being "anti-farmer"and "pro-corporate" and vowed to take the battle across the country. II. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/land-acquisition-bill-the-main-points-of-debate-and-controversy/530572-3.html Feb 25, 2015 at 02:28pm IST Land Acquisition Bill: The main points of debate and controversy Priyanka Rathi, IBNLive.com @priyanka_rathi New Delhi: It has been a stormy start to Parliament Budget session as the united opposition has vociferously taken on the Narendra Modi government on Land Acquisition Bill. The opposition parties are against the Bill accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government of bulldozing its way through in Parliament. Prime Minister Modi is now leading the government from the front and has directed all his MPs to aggressively defend the Bill and not be affected by the oppositions' charges. The Bill will replace the ordinance promulgated by the government in December 2014, which had brought changes in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (Amendment) Act (RFCTLARR) passed in 2013 by the UPA government. If the Bill is not passed in this session, then the ordinance will lapse and cannot be introduced again. Land Acquisition Bill: The main points of debate and controversy After the Modi government took over in May 2014, it decided to make some amendments in the Bill which have become a bone of contention. Till now whenever the government acquires a land, it is done under the Land Acquisition Act 1894. In 2007, the UPA government brought in The Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill to replace the Act. After the Modi government took over in May 2014, it decided to make some amendments in the Bill which have become a bone of contention. According PRS Legislative Research these are: 1. Excluded Acts brought under the RFCTLARR Act: According to the Act 2013, 13 Acts were excluded from the RFCTLARR Act but with the new ordinance they are now brought under its purview. Thus, it brings the compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement provisions of these 13 laws in consonance with the Act. 2. Removal of consent clause in five areas: The ordinance removes the consent clause for acquiring land for five areas - industrial corridors, public private partnership projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence. The ordinance also exempts projects in these five areas from Social Impact Assessment and acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land and other agricultural land, which earlier could not be acquired beyond a certain limit. 3. Return of unutilised land: According to the Act 2013, if the land remains unutilised for five years, then it needs to be returned to the owner. But according to the ordinance the period after which unutilised land needs to be returned will be five years, or any period specified at the time of setting up the project, whichever is later. 4. Time frame: The ordinance states that if the possession of acquired land under Act 1984 is not taken for reasons, then the new law will be applied. 5. Word 'private company' replaced with 'private entity': While the Act 2013 stated that the land can be acquired for private companies, the ordinance replaced it with private entity. A private entity is an entity other than a government entity, and could include a proprietorship, partnership, company, corporation, non-profit organisation, or other entity under any other law. 6. Offence by government officials: If an offence is committed by a government official or the head of the department, then s/he cannot be prosecuted without the prior sanction of the government. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
