-The Telegraph The Centre today sought to allay fears that the proposed land acquisition law would discourage iNDUSTRIALISATION and delay projects, saying it had "humane" provisions based on lessons from the Singur agitation. "The fears are largely exaggerated and overblown. Any bill that closes the door on forcible acquisition is also in the interests of the nation," rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said, alluding to concerns expressed by industry bodies over the...

-Frontline Riding roughshod over farmers' concerns, the Gujarat government notifies a project to develop the Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region, an industrial hub spread over 50,884 hectares, affecting 44 villages. But the villagers see it as a real estate scam and are determined to resist it. GUJARAT may soon have several new townships. The Narendra Modi-led government has proposed to set up 13 special investment regions (SIRs), which are essentially industrial hubs...

-The Indian Express The government has lined up the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 for consideration on Tuesday. The Bill, piloted by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, is intended "to ensure a humane, participatory, informed, consultative and transparent process for land acquisition for iNDUSTRIALISATION, development of essential infrastructural facilities and urbanisation with the least disturbance to owners of the land and other affected families." The legislation seeks to provide "just...

-The Hindu The recent launch of the first Dalit venture fund occasions an examination of the moral and ethical emptiness of capitalism History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics B.R. Ambedkar If only Milind Kamble, founder of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) and Chandra Bhan Prasad, Dalit thinker, columnist and DICCI mentor, had imbibed the wisdom of Manning Marable's How Capitalism Underdeveloped...

-Outlook As the Manmohan Singh government makes evident its unfriendliness to villages, the nation hurtles towards disaster. It's a danger no one wants to face. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been trying for years to make us believe that agriculture is a vast marshland in which a huge population is stuck ankle- to neck-deep and it is his duty to rescue them. "Our salvation lies in moving people out of agriculture," he...