Union Minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh has said, the era of forcible acquisition of land is over with the passing of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

Talking to media in New Delhi today, the Minister said, land acquisition is the root of the Maoist issue. He added, 119-year-old Land Acquisition Act, 1894, had a very important role in encouraging Maoist activities in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, parts of tribal Maharashtra and tribal Andhra Pradesh.

Describing it a progressive Act, the Minister said, the new Land Acquisition Act is not against industrialisation and urbanisation as there is no bar on purchase of private land. However, he said, it gives priority to the interests of the farmers, landless labourers, dalits and tribals.

In a related development, to counter Maoist propaganda, the national broadcaster All India Radio will play jingles, urging villagers and tribals to distance themselves from Naxal groups and instead join the mainstream. The Union Home Ministry has sanctioned 2.16 crore rupees to the Prasar Bharati under the national media plan to air jingles and audio clips promoting welfare schemes and rejecting Naxalism.