The Centre today unveiled a draft land acquisition bill that seeks to replace a 117-year-old law, prohibits the acquisition of multi-crop irrigated land and includes in the definition of “public purpose” plots for companies. The government posted the draft National land acquisition and rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011, on four websites, seeking comments from the public and all stakeholders. (See chart) The draft makes it clear that the government is not amending...

The proposed land acquisition bill unveiled by the Centre today will not override provisions of two landmark laws that seek to protect the interests of tribal landowners, thereby addressing a serious concern of states like Jharkhand where bulk of the land being eyed by industry is in forests inhabited by tribals. On a day the Draft National land acquisition and rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill, 2011, was put in the public domain,...

The new Land Acquisition Bill is unlikely to set a threshold for government intervention in land purchases, leaving it to the states to frame policies on this politically volatile subject. The Bill will, however, eliminate any scope for discrimination by specifying the same rate of compensation for all affected for land acquired by private developers or the state on their behalf. It will also put the onus of compensation on the...

-IANS   With a spate of controversies and clashes over acquisition of farmland for private projects, the government Friday unveiled a draft bill to make the process transparent and equitable to all stakeholders, notably rural owners, with provisions not only for high compensation but also post-sale rehabilitation. The name: National land acquisition and rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011. The thrust of the draft is on compensation based on market value, not less than...

-The Telegraph   All chief ministers will be requested to give their suggestions on a proposed land acquisition law in the next one month before the draft goes to the cabinet. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today said that his ministry had prepared the draft of the Land Acquisitions (Amendment) Bill which will be sent to chief ministers next week. “We cannot do anything without consulting the states. Land is a state...