New Delhi: Holding the opposition's "disruptionary tactics" responsible for not allowing passage of the Food Security and Land Acquisition Bills in Parliament's Budget Session, the Congress on Saturday expressed its willingness for a special session if the other parties were agreed. Congress spokesperson PC Chacko also said that the party will take "disruptionary tactics" of the opposition to the people, alleging they had displayed "least inclination" towards passing pro-people legislations like the two bills.
He said the new Bill on land acquisition provides for better compensation to land owners and has provision for rehabilitation and resettlement. Chacko said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had spoken to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj as the UPA government wanted the opposition to realise benefits of the bills.
He said the Congress had never closed the option on resignation of union ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and Ashwani Kumar, a demand vociferously raised by the opposition parties, and the reason for the latter part of the budget session's second half being washed out. Asked about the possibility of a special session to pass the two Bills, Chacko said the Congress was not against it.
"We are not against it and a session means that it should be a unanimous decision. We are ready to give one more opportunity to the opposition and if they are ready, we are ready to discuss," he said. "We believe that bills should have been passed and we want to pass this at the earliest opportunity. We
11:22 PM, May 18, 2013
New Delhi: Despite BJP escalating confrontation in Parliament, government has listed two key bills, including the ambitious National Food Security Bill, for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill piloted by Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh is also on the legislative agenda of the Lok Sabha Thursday. Congress has often dubbed the Food Bill and the Land Bill as "game-changers" as...
09:15 PM, May 01, 2013
New Delhi: With the Lok Sabha passing the Finance Bill and Demands for Grants for various ministries, Government on Tuesday said it will continue with its efforts for passage of other bills on food security and land acquisition, which are "equally important". "I don't think it is correct to say that with the passage of Finance Bill, the government's concerns are over or its interest is over. All other bills...
03:42 PM, Apr 30, 2013
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to step in to end the political deadlock over coal scam. Sources said the PM is likely to call an all-party meet to break the logjam in Parliament and try and pass the Land Bill and the Food Security Bill. A temporary truce on the Finance Bill was achieved on Monday and the Bill will now be taken up post noon. It...
10:24 AM, Apr 30, 2013
New Delhi: Committing to carry forward the economic reforms programme in the remaining term of UPA-II, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the government will take more executive actions in the next two to four months and sought cooperation of the main opposition party to push through important bills in Parliament. Ruling out early elections, the Minister said the government would last for 13 months more and would continue...
12:15 PM, Apr 24, 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
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. ...
08:04 PM, Dec 18, 2012
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. ...
08:18 PM, Dec 14, 2012
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. ...
07:47 PM, Dec 13, 2012
New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is expected to deliberate with Rural development Minister Jairam Ramesh the views of the GoM members on fresh changes proposed in the draft Land Bill including raising of the consent percentage of land owners for acquiring land. Pawar-led Group of Ministers (GoM) had cleared the draft Bill on October 16. However, the GoM had proposed some more changes, particularly on increasing land owners' consent...
06:03 AM, Nov 15, 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
Catch today's top stories with CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai. ...
11:41 PM, Oct 16, 2012
Shimoga: Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa said that he would meet the Governor in a couple of days to apprise him of the need to pass the pro-poor Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill- 2012, seeking regularisation of houses built on government land in rural areas. This is because the Governor has returned the Bill to the government for reconsideration. Eshwarappa told reporters at his residence here on Tuesday: I...
01:21 PM, Sep 05, 2012
Bangalore: Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj has returned an amendment Bill seeking to grant government land in rural areas to those who had unauthorisedly occupied it and built dwelling units prior to January 1 this year, saying it may lead to illegal grabbing. Bhardwaj returned the Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, submitted by the BJP government for his assent, for reconsideration of both Houses of the state legislature. "The amendment Bill...
12:07 AM, Sep 04, 2012
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has defended his decision to retain a role for the government in land acquisition for Public Private Partnerships. "If you are going to leave everything to private purchase it is the small land owner and livelihood losers who are going to be badly affected," he says. CNN-IBN spoke to him regarding the matter. Rupashree Nanda: You have turned down certain important recommendations of the...
01:44 PM, Jul 19, 2012
New Delhi: The government has overruled the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Land Rehabilitation in the Land Acquisition Bill that is set to be tabled in Parliament. The government has now said that it can acquire land for public-private projects, taking a line that sharply contrasts that of Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee. In what could be a setback to projects in Noida Extension and Bhatta Parsaul in Greater Noida,...
01:35 PM, Jul 07, 2012
New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday finally introduced the much awaited Land Bill days before the current session of Parliament ends. Winning over Mamata Banerjee and taking the Cabinet along, he gave credit to Rahul Gandhi for the speedy introduction of the Bill. In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN's Rupashree Nanda, Jairam defends the bill and even concedes that the government is also a major defaulter of...
06:46 PM, Sep 09, 2011
New Delhi: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday finally introduced the much awaited Land Bill days before the current session of Parliament ends. Winning over Mamata Banerjee and taking the Cabinet along, he gave credit to Rahul Gandhi for the speedy introduction of the Bill. In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN's Rupashree Nanda, Jairam defends the bill and even concedes that the government is also a major defaulter of...
06:46 PM, Sep 09, 2011
Kolkata: Union Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh, who met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, said she was apparently happy with the approach to the new land acquisition bill. Talking to reporters after meeting the chief minister, Ramesh said "broadly she appears to be happy with the approach to the bill, particularly with R and R (relief and rehabilitation) package contained in it." The state government would take...
10:57 PM, Jul 30, 2011
