Land is considered to be similar to mother because it takes care of the people needs without ever complaining. And when the same land is taken away for development, industrialization or infrastructure project, the protest is bound to follow. For the last few days this land acquisition bill has been the focal point of controversy. Many sessions in the parliament have been disrupted due to uproar over this bill. Let’s analyse the ground reality of this bill.
During the previous rule, the government had brought a legislation which stated that, to acquire the land for any private purposes, the consent of 80{4aae73461effa9263855888e11b82afb29be8624bd70156d49c18cab7ecb130d} farmers will be required. And for the public private partnership, 70{4aae73461effa9263855888e11b82afb29be8624bd70156d49c18cab7ecb130d} farmers should agree to the proposal. This was done due to the strong opposition of the farmers when they were asked to part their land in the formation of different SEZs. After the new government assumed office, things have changed. This government wants to transform India into a manufacturing hub. To achieve this purpose the government has to attract big private companies to set up their manufacturing units. This will necessitate acquisition of large piece of the land. This is not possible unless the suitable amendment to the consent clause is made. Because every time the farmers are asked to hand over their land, there is bound to be refusal. So government wants to make it mandatory for the farmers to give their land in exchange of the fair compensation.
As soon as the news of the new land bill floated, the opposition parties got a weapon to attack the government and call it anti-farmers. Even the so called alliance partners also join hands with the opposition to voice their dissent. Despite all resistance, the bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha thanks to the full majority enjoyed by the current government. But the real test will be to get it passed in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks the majority. Whatever may be the case, more industries will require more land, which can’t be created. So the existing land will have to be made available for industries. At the same time the alternate employment opportunities should be created for the farmers so that they are not made helpless. In other words, both industries and agriculture are equally important for the country’s prosperity.