With the opposition stalling proceedings in the Rajya Sabha continuously, not allowing the normal functioning of the parliament, Modi government had no option but to resort to ordinances to continue on its path of reforms. Government yesterday passed an ordinance to amend the land acquisition law. This is a law that has often been accused of stalling the process of development. This amendment will ease the process of land acquisition and speed up the process of development in crucial areas such as defense, infrastructure, housing, and setting up of industrial corridors.
Government will not bow down to the pressure tactics adopted by the opposition parties
Passing of ordinance to make amendments in land acquisition act clearly shows the will and intent of the present government that is not ready to buckle down under the pressure of a unified opposition. It reflects the determination of the NDA government that it will not let the paced of reforms slow down just because it does not have a majority in the upper house of the parliament. Of course this amendment and more in the sectors of insurance and coal that are in the pipeline according to close sources will be subject to scrutiny by both houses of the parliament when the next session begins.
Ordinance makes amendments to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013
The ordinance, which is called amendment to Right to Fair Compensation & Transparency in Rehabilitation Act 2013, will come into effect on 1 January 2015 once it gets the nod from the President Pranab Mukherjee. This particular Act was passed by the earlier UPA government in a bid to remove the archaic law in this regard that was in place since the British rule. But the legislation passed by the UPA government met with protests that often turned violent when government tried to acquire land from the farmers in many parts of the country. This law is believed by many to have hurt Indian economy as it came into way of hundreds of government projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Government is confident that it will speed up development projects
Hoping that the newly introduced ordinance will speed up the process of development, a confident Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, “The priority of the government is to protect the interest of the farmers but it has to be balanced with the development needs of the society.’’ The amendment eases norms for acquisition of land for developmental works related to rural infrastructure, defence, housing for the weaker sections of the society, and for making industrial corridors. It was seen that in the past government, when it could not get the consent of land owners, it had to file cases in courts that dragged on for years and even decades, stalling crucial government projects.
Under the ordinance, government would need consent of 70% of the land owners under a government or a PPP project while consent of 50% of the land owners would be required for a private project. The ordinance has been welcomed by the corporate sector as industrialists feel it would speed up their projects. Even experts feel that this ordinance will allow fair compensation to the land owners while removing hurdles in land acquisition. However, as usual, opposition parties are crying foul saying the government has tried to muzzle the voice of the opposition. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, spokesman of Congress said, ‘’If you want to correct something, there is a method to it. Ordinance Raj cannot last beyonf the budget session. This government is scared and afraid of public accountability.’’
Government has termed this amendment as pro development and pro farmers as it will speed up projects in the fields of infrastructure, housing, and defense without compromising on the interests of the farmers and poor people.
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About Sanjay Tandon
Sanjay Tandon is a graduate engineer from IIT Varanasi. He has been writing as a freelancer for many years. He loves to write on various niches. He is passionate about politics and economy and spends his free time watching news channels. He is also an expert on relationships.
