Land Bill 2011 has been passed

Under the shroud of acquiring land for "public infrastructure" the land of the common people is acquired for making huge profits by public firms. So, the land acquisition and rehabilitation policies have been revised. While the spirit of the the Food Bill was still in the air, people-friendly land bill has been passed. Now acquiring land would involve consent of the land owners (60% of the land owners) There will be uniformity in land acquiring policies all over India. Compensation for land would be four times the market rate for rural India and twice the market value in urban India. But land prices have shot up hundreds times the market rate. And "market rate" means the amount that is registered which is much much lower that the real value. Land sharks have somehow acquired the land of the common people and have made plans to make big money. Unless the computerization of land records is done very very fast, the people of India would get further impoverished, as they cannot prove that they own their lands. There is need for making the rights of the "seller" more just. He should not be forced to sell but become "stake holder" in the industry created on his land. He should be a partner in the industry that is made on his land. Or the "seller" must lease out his land to the industry and not really "sell" it. There is only ban on mining minerals from multi-crop land. Otherwise there is no restriction. By selling his land, the owner would have lost his means of livelihood and also the means of livelihood for his children (and following generations to come). For the farmer/tribal the land and his culture are most important part of his culture. The land is our heritage...it shows us who we are...our identity..Let us not sell it.
The Lower House (Lok Sabha) has voted 206 in favour and 16 against the Land Bill. Now the Upper House (Rajya Sabha) will vote. There is still hope, that the Bill would give real rights to the owners.