The Rajya Sabha has passed the Land Acquisition Bill with four new official amendments. 131 members voted in favour of the bill and ten against.Though, the Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last week it will go back to it for the approval of the new amendments, which include dilution of the retrospective clause with regard to acquisition of land for irrigation projects.
Replying to a six-hour debate in the House late last night, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said, there will be no forcible acquisition under the law. He clarified that the urgency clause in the bill is to be used only in case of natural calamities and national security, and cannot be invoked in case of land acquisition for private parties. He said, compensation in this case will be higher. Our correspondent reports that the bill, which will replace over a century-old law, is historic and revolutionary as it seeks to provide fair and just compensation to farmers and to those who lose their livelihood on account of acquisition. It proposes compensation upto four times the market value in rural areas and two times the market value in urban areas. Either compensation or rehabilitation and resettlement will be given to farmers in case of land acquisition for irrigation projects. For other projects, farmers will get the benefits of both compensation and rehabilitation and resettlement. The bill has a separate clause to protect the interests of dalits and tribals.