NEW DELHI: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said the draft land acquisition bill is a “political bill which strikes a balance between social benefit and economic growth” and gave the “entire credit” for it to Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Referring to the recent agitations over land acquisition in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi made “key contributions” in the draft Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011.
He also thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for their cooperation.
“This bill is as much about politics as it is about land acquisition,” said Ramesh after the draft bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha Wednesday.
Stating that there were “concerns within the government over economic cost of land acquisition”, the minister said the clause “giving four times compensation than the market value in rural areas” was reduced from six times in the earlier draft.
“The draft bill would add to the economic cost of land acquisition but its social benefits will outweigh the concern,” said Ramesh.
Addressing the concerns of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, the draft bill added a condition that while not more than 5 percent multi-cropped land can be acquired in a district, an equivalent wasteland would have to be developed for agriculture purposes.
But this clause shall not apply to linear projects like railways, highways, power lines and irrigation canals, said Ramesh.
Ramesh said the draft bill tightened definition of “public purpose”.(PTI)
