Congress on Thursday claimed that the party has no intention of gaining political mileage by rolling out Food Security and land Acquisition Acts ahead the crucial 2014 lok Sabha polls, but only to give strength to the people.
The party has also asked its critics not to “post-mortem” the ambitious Acts on the basis of its timings.“The Congress-led UPA Government, in its two back-to-back tenures, has worked and given six laws not only to empower the common man, but also to make them self-reliant and secure their future,” said All India Congress Committee’s special representative Prem Chandra Mishra.
The senior Congress leader from Bihar said that the Congress has taken six steps — Right to Information Act, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Forest Conservation Act, Right to Education Act, Food Security Act, and land Acquisition Bill — that has “empowered the common man” in its two tenures.
Mishra was in the city as a part of his tour to the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab to create awareness on The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, passed by the Parliament in the recent Monsoon session and awaiting President’s approval.
Maintaining that the new Bill would do away with the “forceful acquisition of land”, Mishra added that it also ensured right price for the land, with enough provisions of the rehabilitation and resettlement of not only the landowners or farmers but also the tenants “along with transparency”.
“Earlier Act was hundreds years old, and it has been observed that the farmers have faced several problems in getting the compensation, knocking the doors of the courts, among other things. Now, with this Act coming into force, the compensation has to be given within three months of agreement, only then the land be acquired,” said Mishra.
He added the owners would also get 20 per cent share of the developed land, and they are free to use it in whatever manner they wanted to.“Special provision has also been made for the Scheduled Castes. For their land, consent of Gram Sabha or Panchayat is must. Moreover, the SC community would have to be given same community, set up, tradition as was in the land where they were leaving before and acquired,” Mishra clarified.
He added that the Bill ensures at least four times the market value for land acquired in rural areas, and two times in urban areas. At the same time, Mishra also made it clear that land acquisition being the state subject, where Centre can also form laws, the state government’s are free to make changes accordingly, “but, it cannot change this provision”.