New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday appealed to the opposition to cooperate with the government in passing the key food security and land acquisition bills in the interests of the people, while expressing her disappointment that parliament was not allowed to run to enable the passage of the bills.
"I make a plea to the NDA and other opposition parties...let us come together to ensure passage of the food security and the land acquisition bills and other important bills," Gandhi said at a function here to mark the UPA's ninth anniversary.
"These are not partisan issues...these affect the lives of millions who we are committed to represent," she said.
The BJP did not allow the passage of these two bills demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resign on wrongdoing in the allocation of coal blocks....
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02:23 AM, May 23, 2013
New Delhi: With the crucial Food Security Bill and Land Acquisition Bill still pending, sources say the government is mulling a Special Session of Parliament to get the bills passed. Reports also say the government is looking at the option of introducing an ordinance instead too. But the government had earlier denied any such move. Sources say that the Food Ministry is opposed to bringing an ordinance. The government may...
11:14 AM, May 14, 2013
New Delhi: Parliament was adjourned sine die at 12.56 pm on Wednesday, two days before scheduled end of the Budget session. The decision was reportedly taken after the Congress's victory in Karnataka elections. The adjournment would mean that crucial bills like the Food Security Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill won't be passed. It was yet another day of uproar and unruly scenes in Lok Sabha as opposition MPs rushed...
12:56 PM, May 08, 2013
New Delhi: A war of words broke out between the Congress and the opposition over the National Food Security Bill that the government tried its best to debate in the Lok Sabha and get passed on Monday. The opposition continued to disrupt the house over the coal blocks allocation issue as Food Minister KV Thomas moved the bill, saying it was a key UPA legislation that would give the right...
04:05 AM, May 07, 2013
New Delhi: CPI(M) Politburo Member Brinda Karat reiterated the Left party's demand to send the Land Bill back to a Select Committee. Karat was speaking to CNN-IBN's Rupashree Nanda. Here's the transcript of the interview: CNN IBN: The signal that came out of the all party meet that was held on the April 18 was that the Left had agreed not to send the Land Bill back to the Select...
10:27 PM, Apr 22, 2013
New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh during the all party meeting on Thursday said there was an agreement that the Land Bill should be brought for discussion and passing in the second half of the Budget Session. The minister is hopeful of finally replacing the colonial, 119-year-old Land Acquisition Act with a fairer law but added that Parliament must function. Between April 9-18, Ramesh reached out to leaders cutting...
09:45 PM, Apr 18, 2013
As parties decide to bring the Land Acquisition Bill in the second half of the Budget Session in Parliament, beginning from Monday, the BJP has assured support. "The problem of land mafia has escalated as they believe that the prices of land will go up after acquiring plots from the farmers. The government must ensure that the original farmer is compensated," said Leader of Opposition Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj. ...
03:32 PM, Apr 18, 2013
New Delhi: An all-party meeting has been called on Thursday to discuss the Land Acquisition Bill, which seeks to strengthen landowners' rights during acquisition for development. This will be the third all-party meeting on the Land Acquisition Bill. The parties, which failed to arrive on a consensus on the bill in the last two meetings, were asked to give their suggestions by April 15 and six parties are reported to...
08:19 AM, Apr 18, 2013
Anand: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Centre will bring in revised Land Acquisition Bill in the forthcoming session of Parliament as there was a political consensus on it. "We will bring the revised bill in this session. All political parties want to get it passed," Ramesh said. "States have given their suggestions and I have also met opposition leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj...
05:17 PM, Apr 13, 2013
New Delhi: An all party meet convened to reach a consensus on the Land Acquisition Bill remained inconclusive on Tuesday with no headway being made at all. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), AIADMK and CPM gave their suggestions, other parties are expected to follow suit by April 15. After all the suggestions are made, there will be another round of meeting on April 18, by when there is likely...
03:39 PM, Apr 09, 2013
New Delhi: The government will convene an all party meet on Tuesday to iron out the controversial Land Acquisition Bill. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath has called the meeting as the party meet could not reach a consensus by March 7. While the Left wants the Land Bill to be sent back to the standing committee, the Trinamool Congress has completely rejected it. Earlier in April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh...
07:40 AM, Apr 09, 2013
The government has convened an all-party meeting on March 7 to iron out differences on issues relating to the ambitious land acquisition bill. Sources said the meeting has been convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath after several MPs including Basudev Acharya (CPI-M) raised objection about certain clauses in the bill including compensation package and rehabilitation. ...
09:50 PM, Mar 01, 2013
New Delhi: The controversial Land Acquisition Bill is set for further delay as its consideration was on Monday deferred by the Lok Sabha till the next session bowing to the wishes of Opposition members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said the Bill would be taken up for consideration as the first measure in the budget session. His statement came following pleas by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Rajnath Singh, Mulayam...
08:04 PM, Dec 18, 2012
New Delhi: The Land Acquisition Bill, which seeks to strengthen landowners' rights during acquisition for development, will be introduced in Parliament next week, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh indicated on Friday hoping a smooth passage for the controversial measure. "You score the maximum in the slog overs," he told reporters when asked whether the Bill cleared by the Union Cabinet on Thursday, will be brought in Parliament in the current...
08:18 PM, Dec 14, 2012
Loktak: Even as the Cabinet cleared the contentious Land Acquisition Bill on Thursday, claiming to protect land rights from private developers, at Manipur's Loktak Lake, it is the government that is evicting the locals. The Manipur government even burnt homes of fishermen on Loktak Lake to move them out, offering them just Rs 40,000 as one-time compensation to leave homes. The fishermen were evicted to make way for dam, and...
06:42 PM, Dec 14, 2012
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared the Land Acquisition Bill. According to the decision the consent of as many as 80 per cent of the landowners is required in case of private acquisition. The bill further says that in case of public-private partnership, consent of 70 per cent of the landowners is required for the land acquisition. However, no consent is required if the land is acquired by...
07:47 PM, Dec 13, 2012
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet is likely to take up the much awaited Land Acquisition Bill for consideration at its meeting on Thursday. Minister of State for Rural Development Lalchand Kataria said the bill has provision for return of the unutilised land. Land Acquisition Act, 1894 has no provision for return of the unutilised land. Clause 95 of the new bill provides that when any land or part thereof, acquired...
02:40 AM, Dec 13, 2012
New Delhi: Fresh changes have been made in the draft Land Acquisition Bill under which the level of consent of landowners for acquiring land for private purpose has been made stiffer following a suggestion from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The percentage of land owners, whose consent is a must for acquiring land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 in the proposed bill. Disclosing the...
09:41 PM, Oct 29, 2012
New Delhi: Groups of farmers have begun protests outside the residence of Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh. The farmers are protesting against the draft Land Acquisition Bill that was cleared for Parliament by the government last week. The farmers were holding placards and shouting slogans demanding justice. They demanded an 'economic bill that will do justice to the farmers'. The new bill, meant to protect the rights of farmers, allows...
10:18 AM, Oct 19, 2012
New Delhi: Days after a ministerial panel finalised the draft of the Land Acquisition Bill, the government on Thursday said some land size thresholds on private purchases have now been left to the discretion of states. "What we are stipulating in this law is that there will be a Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package for private purchase of land wherever private purchase of land for private parties is taking place....
04:30 PM, Oct 18, 2012
