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...

-The Times of India   The unveiling of the draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is better late than never. All over India, industrialisation and infrastructure are hobbled by land-related strife. Whether it's Singur in Bengal or anti-Posco protests in Orissa, such stirs are impeding development and spooking investors. Bringing in a set of predictable rules - any rules - is welcome in such a context. The Bill...

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government’s proposed land acquisition law, a politically sensitive and critical piece of legislation that could potentially remove a big roadblock to industrial investment, aims to address rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R), providing safeguards for both land owners and livelihood losers, while clearly defining the “public purpose” for which land can be acquired by the government. “This draft Bill seeks to balance the need for facilitating land acquisition...

-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...

-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...