Mamata Banerjee has reintroduced an administrative structure to bring land and land reforms officials under the district administration’s “direct supervision” in a move aimed at injecting accountability and reining in staff close to the Left that had scrapped the system. The Jyoti Basu government had abolished the British-era structure in 1989, bringing in decentralisation but allowing Alimuddin Street to pack the department with chosen officials who would bypass the district administration...

The Trinamul Congress will accept government acquisition of land for the private sector only if the plots are required for projects under public-private partnership (PPP) and serve a public purpose. The stand was articulated by Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP and land expert Debabrata Bandopadhyay at a meeting with Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh here today. The party had so far opposed any government role in acquisition of land for private...

-IANS   West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, unveilinging scholarships and sops for the state's minorities, on Saturday accused the previousLeft government of sowing confusion by announcing a "hurried and erroneous" quota in government jobs for Muslims. Addressing a programme organised by the West Bengal Minorities Development and Finance Corporation, Banerjee declared that loans totalling Rs.82 crore will be given this year to the minorities, besides scholarships and stipends worth Rs.122 crore. "This...

-The Telegraph   Mamata Banerjee today said the draft land acquisition bill that Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh came to discuss with her tonight was “much better” than the previous one. “This draft is much better than the previous one. It has the correct approach. I have issues with one or two points. I will study it in detail and inform the Centre,” Mamata said after her 20-minute meeting with Ramesh at...

-The Hindu   There is no major difference in views between the West Bengal government and the Centre on the draft Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill 2011 though there is need for clarity on some points, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday. Mr. Ramesh discussed the draft Bill with Debabrata Bandyopadhyay, a former bureaucrat, a day after he held talks on Saturday with West Bengal Chief...