The Mamata Banerjee government is working on an Amendment to the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 to enable the return of 400 acres in Singur to farmers who were “unwilling” to part with the land. The proposed Land Acquisition Act (Amendment) Bill 2011, which is likely to be placed in the Assembly after it convenes on June 24, will have three clauses under the head “Section 48A”. The first allows the government...

-The Times of India   Delhi high court has sought a reply from the Delhi government and the education director on a physically challenged person's plea seeking Amendment in the RTE Act to include a quota for the children of such people. HC issued notices to the authorities concerned on a petition filed by one Hilal Haider praying that there were deficiencies in the RTE Act that needed clarification. On his...

-The Hindu   The Uttar Pradesh government's new land acquisition policy, announced in the face of farmers' protests and impending elections, is a significant improvement over existing practices. It is sounder than the Amendments to the central Act proposed by the UPA government, which have been awaiting enactment since 2007. Poor compensation calculated on rates based on the pre-development phase, a lack of consultation, and cumbersome procedures have marred the whole...

-The Indian Express   Compulsory education defeats its own purpose if isn’t sufficiently compulsory and long enough. India has been a late entrant into the community of nations that offer their children free and compulsory education up to a basic level, for a certain minimum number of years. The Right of All Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, passed in 2009, entitled every child between 6 and 14 years of...

Every year, industrial development projects displace about 10 million people globally. In India alone, involuntary resettlement has affected about 50 million people over the last five decades. Three-fourths of them still face an uncertain future. People displaced by such projects are prone to being rendered landless, jobless, homeless and marginalised. Yet, the policies and programmes related to their relocation and rehabilitation are yet to find satisfactory answers to questions like: Is...