Land bill: Industry backs amendments, says proposed Act to kickstart growth
New Delhi: Welcoming the passage of the Land Bill in the Lok Sabha, industry body CII said the proposed Act is bound to create jobs, kickstart economic growth and help improve the country's infrastructure.
"The amended Land Bill, if approved in the Rajya Sabha, would be a major boon to the infrastructure goals of the nation. This will accelerate economic growth, create millions of new jobs and improve living standards of every Indian," CII President Designate Sumit Mazumder said.
It is heartening to note that the new amendments take into consideration the interest of all stakeholders, especially the land owners, he added.
The contentious Land bill passed the Lok Sabha test after the government carried out nine amendments to it and persuaded most of its allies to support, setting the stage for its consideration in Rajya Sabha where the numbers are loaded against the government.
In an attempt to placate the opposition and some unhappy allies, government brought nine official amendments and added two clauses to the controversial legislation.
The official amendments moved included limiting the industrial corridor to one kilometre on both the sides of the highways and railway lines, compulsory employment to one member of the affected family of farm labourers, hearing and redressal of grievances at the district level and acquisition of bare minimum of land for projects.
The amendments also include dropping of exemption to "social infrastructure" projects as there were fears that private individuals may use this clause to open colleges and hospitals, which are actually business models.
The bill is now set for the real test in Rajya Sabha where the NDA is in a minority and opposition is united in opposing it or sending it to a Parliamentary Committee.
