New Delhi, July 16: Mamata Banerjee's suggestion that the government should have no role in acquiring land for industry is unlikely to find room in a proposed amendment bill.
Sources said the proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) bill would most likely allow the government to be part of the land acquisition process for private investors.
Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today held a meeting in which participants supported a role for the government. But the meeting could not decide if the government should acquire all the land or just a part.
"The broad view at the meeting was in favour of a government role in land acquisition. There will be one more meeting on Tuesday to decide to what extent the government will be involved in land acquisition," a source said.
The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council had advocated 100 per cent acquisition by the government to ensure farmers are properly compensated and not cheated by investors and brokers.
An earlier draft bill finalised by former minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had stuck to a 70-30 formula under which the private investor would have to acquire at least 70 per cent of the land directly from the owners while the government would acquire the remaining 30 per cent or less.
Today's meeting stressed better rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected people. There will be no separate law for rehabilitation and resettlement; it will be part of the land acquisition act.
"There will be a provision for a job for at least one person from a family that gives land for industry. Jobs will be given as per the eligibility of the person," the source said.
The law is expected to mandate industry to provide skill-based training to affected persons so they can get jobs. The private investor would have to give them preference in allotment of outsourced contracts, and for shops or other economic opportunities in and around the project site.
They would also have to give preference to landless labourers and unemployed persons while hiring labour for construction of the project.
The rural development ministry is expected to finalise the draft bill next week. It will then be put on the ministry website for public comments.
The bill could be introduced in Parliament's monsoon session that begins on August 1 and is expected to conclude on September 8.
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