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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Will wait for committee on land bill: rural development minister
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Will wait for committee on land bill: rural development minister

If the parliamentary committee's report is 'good' and 'unanimous', the ministry can move forward, says Chaudhary Birender Singh

A file photo of rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. Photo: PTIPremium
A file photo of rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh on Tuesday said his ministry, which had put out a new land acquisition bill to replace the 2013 law, would proceed only after a joint committee of Parliament examining the proposed 2015 law submits its report.

“We have no objection if a report comes with consensus. This is what I have said earlier too," Singh said, when asked about the fate of the 2015 land bill. This comes after reports that the committee would resume its meetings only after the Bihar assembly election in October-November.

Asked whether the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government would push for changes in the legislation brought in by the previous Congress-led government, Singh said, “The joint committee of Parliament is still alive. Let the committee give its report. If the report is good and it is unanimous, we can move forward. Let the report come."

The committee, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament S.S. Ahluwalia, is expected to submit its report in the beginning of the winter session, he said.

On 30 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that an ordinance—issued on 29 December and re-promulgated three times afterwards, the latest being on 30 May—to introduce changes to some of the provisions of a 2013 Act would be allowed to lapse. The decision followed months of protests by opposition parties demanding that the government withdraw the executive order allowing companies to obtain land without the owner’s consent in some cases.

Critics say the proposed changes are aimed at benefiting businesses at the expense of farmers.

The 2013 law, which replaced a law dating to 1894, stipulated that the consent of 70% of farmers is required if land is being acquired for projects where the government is in partnership with private firms. For private projects, consent of 80% of farmers is required before the land can be acquired. The 2013 law also made a social impact assessment mandatory before the land is acquired.

The industry called these provisions prohibitive and blamed them for the slowing growth of the economy.

With the NDA outlining plans to boost manufacturing and economic growth through initiatives such as Make in India, the need for changes in the 2013 law was felt and the government brought in the ordinance.

The government’s attempts to amend the 2013 law ran into trouble even though the Lok Sabha—where the NDA has a clear majority—twice passed the 2015 land acquisition bill. The legislation got stuck in the Rajya Sabha, where the NDA does not have a majority. The opposition, led by the Congress party, opposed changes to the consent and social impact assessment clauses, stating that the two provisions had been added to protect farmers.

To break the logjam, the 2015 bill was referred to a joint committee of Parliament comprising 30 members of Parliament—20 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The committee was constituted in May and was to submit its report on 21 July—the first day of the monsoon session.

However, even after 17 sittings, there has been no consensus and the committee’s report is now expected to be submitted in the winter session of Parliament in November-December.

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Published: 07 Oct 2015, 12:08 AM IST
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