Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, Jul 30: A mahapanchayat has been called for on Saturday July 30 by farmers from 50 villages in Noida in order to decide their next course of action on the land acquisition battle.

The Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has now made ready the Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill.

According to reports the Bill has highlighted that  multi-cropped, irrigated land cannot be acquired. Government can acquire land only for public purpose and land to be acquired for public purpose after consultation, no consent is needed. Land for non-public use needs 80 per cent consent, separate set of norms for land acquisition in rural and urban areas and there is an urgency clause to be invoked for national defense and security, relief and rehabilitation.

The new law is compliant with existing tribal welfare laws and will have primacy over the existing 18 laws including Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

Ramesh began by emphasizing on the need for land for industry, urbanization and infrastructure and also not who acquires land but how land acquired is more important than the process of land acquisition.