Tuesday 23 April 2013

Consensus on making of the land bill

We had an ancient bill through which land was acquired by the state for making infrastructures for public good, and it was called Land Acquisition of 1894. It was outdated and a new one was made. Latest one is called Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill 2012. This would give new deal to the Indian farmers whose lands would be acquired by government and given to private companies which would develop it.The compensation given to the farmers would be double of the market rate. The reality is that the actual value of the land would be 500 times more the "white"market rate. Once the farmer sells it, he would never be able to buy land ever (land would be out of his reach) For the sake of industrialisation and modernisation, the government is going to acquire land. Even if the different political parties arrive at consensus, they would not be "fair" to the farmer. Farmer protests are subdued. In the state of Odissa, land for steel plant (of a Korean company) was acquired and the plant was made. People protested for months together. Now they can protest no more. A mere compensation of 20 lakhs would be paid to them and land would be taken against their wishes. The steel plant would make 20 million tonne of steel annually. And the farmers whose land it was built on will get no part of the profits. The farmers should be the"owners" of the plants., but with land snatched from them they are reduced to labourers. Is this the support they should receive from the government they had elected?The government has not made an in depth study of the situation. Even if it is aware of the situation, it does not care for the helpless farmer.It cares for industrialisation more than ever. People's rights are not recognised here, how will farmers survive? What future do they have?The land and its people are suffering.Our culture and people might disappear in the future.

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