This refers to the article, “Of the 21st century luddites” (March 18) by Devesh Vijay and the article, “In numbers game, the divide and rule policy” (March 19) by Gautam Mukherjee. The two articles are, in one way or the other, related primarily with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, and the controversy that surrounds it.
In the Rajya Sabha, the amended provision to exempt the consent clause (up to 80 per cent in villages) for the land to be acquired for manufacturing service and infrastructure thereof, to be owned by private and public-private partnership enterprises to boost infrastructure investments, has been vehemently opposed by various parties such as the Congress, the Trinamool Congress etc. The Government has made certain amendments to allay the Opposition's apprehensions. Critics must realise that the Bill will accelerate industrialisation, investment and offer new avenues of financial well-being to the farmers.