[Five important aspects of the proposed amendment: * The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 seeks to Amend the Act of 2013 (LARR Act, 2013) and thereby create five special categories of land use: 1. defence, 2. rural infrastructure, 3 affordable housing, 4. industrial corridors, and 5. infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the central government owns the land.
* These five categories are exempted from the provisions of the LARR Act, 2013. In this act, consent of 80 per cent of land owners are required for private projects and 70 per cent of land owners' consent are required for PPP projects. * Social Impact Assessment to identify those affected will not be required for these five categories. Restrictions on the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land imposed by LARR Act 2013 will also be held nullified. * The Bill brings provisions for compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement under other related Acts such as the National Highways Act and the Railways Act in consonance with the LARR Act. * Acquisition of land by 'private companies' mentioned in LARR Act, 2013 will be changed to acquisition for 'private entities', which may include companies, corporations and nonprofit organisations. (Source: <http://www.oneindia.com/feature/off-grounded-why-the-centre-and-the-opposition-debate-over-land-bill-1721814.html> and <http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/land-bill-six-facts-you-need-to-know/article6978832.ece>.)] I/III. http://www.financialexpress.com/article/economy/live-rahul-gandhi-to-take-on-pm-narendra-modi-embarks-kisan-padyatra/68190/ Farmers hail Rahul Gandhi's initiative in opposing the Land Acquisition Bill 2015 Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was told by several of them that insurance companies were engaging in fraud. By: PTI | Amravati | April 30, 2015 5:22 pm Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was told by several of them that insurance companies were engaging in fraud. (PTI) Setting out on a padyatra today to meet farmers in the Vidarbha region of the state, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi was told by several of them that insurance companies were engaging in fraud and that the requisite compensation was not paid to them for crop loss. Rahul this morning launched his 'sanvad yatra' from Gunji village in Maharashtra's Amravati district to highlight farmers' woes and the agrarian situation in the region. He will be visiting five villages between Gunji to Ramgaon and will meet the farmers who have suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rain as also the families of those who have committed suicide over crop loss. Sitting on a jute mat at a temple in Hirapur village, the Congress vice president gave a patient hearing to a group of marginal farmers. The villagers alleged that "insurance companies were only selecting sample areas for giving compensation while the rest of the farmers were being deprived by them of the benefits due". "The insurance companies send their agents who mop up business for foreign giants as an incentive but, ultimately, it is the poor farmer who loses," a villager, Pandurang, complained to Rahul. Some of them said that pesticides and fertilisers were being supplied to them at high prices even though the cost of production of such items was quite less. The villagers also drew Rahul's attention to the damage their soya crop has suffered in the unseasonal rainfall. Soyabean prices have crashed heavily due to the damages, another farmer said. Hailing Rahul's initiative in opposing the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, in Parliament, the villagers said they was apprehension that farm land would be acquired for business. Nearly 171 farmers have committed suicide from 2006 to 2014 in Dhamangaon taluka of the district, the villagers informed the Congress leader. Under a scorching sun, Rahul went on foot from village to village. The padyatra saw the participation of a large number of Congress workers, particularly from Youth Congress, waving the party flag, banners and posters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday termed Rahul Gandhi's visit to Punjab as a "day-long excursion" and "tourism" and asked where was the Congress vice president when a large number of farmers died during the 10 years of UPA rule. Rahul Gandhi kisan padyatraThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday termed Rahul Gandhi's visit to Punjab as a "day-long excursion" and "tourism". (PTI) "He is resorting to tourism... He is free and welcome to travel across the country," said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, when asked about Gandhi's visit Punjab to highlight the farmers' plight. Another senior Union Minister termed the visit as a "day-long excursion" and said such "one-day publicity" measures will boomerang on the Congress party. "Rahul Gandhi is resorting to a day's excursion. Where was he when lakhs of farmers were dying during the last 10 years when his party was in power? Such things of one-day publicity are going to boomerang," said the senior minister. Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij took pot shots at Rahul Gandhi's journey by train to meet farmers in Punjab, saying from the pictures in newspapers it appears like "a child had run away from his home". "After looking at the pictures of Rahul Gandhi sitting in a train like a terrified and scared child, which appeared in today's newspapers, it appears like a child had run away from his home," he said in a tweet. Rahul Gandhi kisan padyatra"After looking at the pictures of Rahul Gandhi sitting in a train like a terrified and scared child, which appeared in today's newspapers, it appears like a child had run away from his home," Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij said in a tweet. He will be visiting five villages between Gunji to Ramgaon and will meet the farmers who have suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rain. He is accompanied by MPCC president Ashok Chavan and senior state Congress leaders. Maharashtra is one of the states that experienced severe agrarian crisis and Amravati division in Vidarbha region has witnessed many suicide cases of farmers this year. Ahead of his visit, a farmer, Gajanan Sheshrao Khongal, allegedly committed suicide by jumping into a well in Morshi tehsil of the district on Tuesday. In Gunji, Rahul met family members of farmers Nilesh Walke and Ambadas Vahile who had committed suicide recently. Gunji, with a population of 1,200 people, was the first stop in the 'padyatra' undertaken by the Congress scion where he also met a group of children from orphanges and interacted with them briefly. Rahul Gandhi kisan padyatraCongress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addressing farmers at Khanna Mandi in Punjab on Tuesday. (PTI) Subsequently, Rahul marched to Shahpur village, another suicide-prone area, five kms from Gunji in Amravati district, which is represented by Virendra Jagtap of Congress in the Maharashtra Assembly. Back from a tour of Punjab mandis, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the plight of farmers triggering an uproar in Lok Sabha. The Congress Vice President accused the government of not procuring the the produce of farmers, a charge that was flatly rejected by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gandhi said he wanted to apprise the House of the pain and problems of the Punjab farmer whose produce is lying in Mandis and is not being procured by the government. Targeting the Prime Minister, he said he is on tours and should also visit Punjab so that he understands the plight of farmers. Amid protests from BJP benches, Gandhi also took a swipe at the Prime Minister's 'Make in India' initiative, questioning whether farmers are not contributing to 'Make in India' by providing food to the entire country. For Updates Check Economy news; follow us on Facebook and Twitter First Published on April 30, 2015 9:23 am II/III. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/land-bill-will-be-passed-let-harsimrat-answer-rahul-bjp/article7158463.ece Updated: April 30, 2015 17:32 IST Land bill will be passed, let Harsimrat answer Rahul: BJP PTI A file photo of BJP President Amit Shah. Amit Shah expressed confidence the land bill and the Goods and Services Tax bill would pass muster in the current budget session of Parliament. BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday rejected opposition charge that the land bill was anti-farmer and asked parties not to oppose it for political reasons. He expressed confidence the land bill and the Goods and Services Tax bill would pass muster in the current budget session of Parliament. "Let the session be over. I don't think they will not be passed," Mr. Shah said when asked about the fate of key reforms measures like land bill and GST bill. With a united opposition dubbing the land bill "anti-farmer", Mr. Shah said the legislation did not have any anti-farmer clause following amendments brought by the government and suggested that the opposition to it was due to political considerations. "I think that if a bill is good on merit then it should not be opposed due to political reasons," he said when asked if his party was disappointed over the opposition's stand. He, however, parried queries at a press conference on Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's repeated attack on Mr. Modi and the government over farmer issues and said let Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal answer him. "Let Harsimrat answer Rahul Gandhi. Do not bring me into this," he said. She had attacked Mr.Gandhi on Wednesday in Lok Sabha after he highlighted problems being faced by farmers in Punjab and advised him instead to tour his constituency Amethi. III. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-gst-black-money-lba-in-parliament-next-week-suspense-on-land-bill-2081900 GST, black money, LBA in Parliament next week; suspense on land bill Thursday, 30 April 2015 - 6:00am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | From the print edition dna Correspondent The Government is planning a heavy legislative agenda for next week in Parliament, even as the Opposition is gearing up to create hurdles in the passage of the Goods and Services Tax bill. The Government is planning a heavy legislative agenda for next week in Parliament, even as the Opposition is gearing up to create hurdles in the passage of the Goods and Services Tax bill. ***The bills on GST, black money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and land boundary agreement are listed to be taken up after May 5, government sources said on Wednesday. However, the government is keeping its cards close to its chest on when it would take up the contentious land acquisition bill.*** [Emphasis added.] While the Centre is exuding confidence on being able to pass the other three bills, Opposition parties- Congress, Left, AIADMK, BJD and Trinamool Congress, which together form a chunk of 145 seats in Lok Sabha, are likely to insist on the GST bill being referred to a standing committee. Being a constitution amendment bill, it requires a two-third majority for its passage. The BJP-led NDA has a comfortable majority in Lok Sabha but in Rajya Sabha it would be faced with a numerical disadvantage. The government is banking on Congress not opposing a bill which the party itself had advocated. However, the Congress said it was opposed to the manner in which the GST was being initiated and the party would take a call on its stand after detailed discussions within the parliamentary party and taking into account national consensus. "The Indian National Congress has been a proponent of a common Goods and Services Tax regime across India. However, the party is opposed to the manner and fashion in which the initiation of the GST regime is being pushed through by the BJP without appropriate discussions with all stakeholders and bringing everyone on board," Rajiv Gowda, MP and Spokesperson said. On the black money bill, the government does not see any impediments in its passage as being a money bill it cannot be blocked by the Rajya Sabha. The bill seeks to charge 30 per cent tax annually on undisclosed foreign income and assets. However, some Opposition parties are planning to demand that the bill be referred to a select committee. The BJP had made the black money issue one of its key poll planks in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. With just a week left of the session in Lok Sabha, the government is hoping to get the land swap deal or Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), also a constitutional amendment, passed. The bill, brokered between former PM Manmohan Singh with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in 2011, seeks to redraw the incongruous Indo- Bangladesh border with each country transferring area under adverse possession and enclaves to the other. Under the LBA, India will transfer 111 enclaves (land with people belonging to Bangladesh but encircled by Indian Territory) measuring 17, 160.63 acres to Bangladesh and will receive from Bangladesh 51 enclaves measuring 7, 110.2 acres. -- 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.
