Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015 passed in Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 passed the Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill, 2015 by voice vote. The bill amends the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.

The Land Acquisition (amendment) Bill seeks to ratify an ordinance or emergency executive order which was passed on 29 December 2015.

Before being passed the Union Government made nine amendments in the Bill (more than 50 were proposed) which was promulgated on 29 December 2014. But it refused to bring back the consent clause or social impact assessment.

Nine amended provisions which were accepted includes
• Removed exemptions for Social Infrastructure Projects in public-private-partnership mode
• Land that will be acquired for industrial corridors will be limited to one kilometre on either side of highways and railway lines
• Compulsory employment will be provided to one member of a farming family that is selling its land
• A hassle-free grievance redressal mechanism of land losers will be put in place
• Farmers may get right to appeal/complain over land acquisition hearing and redressal of grievances at the district level
• Ceiling on land for acquisition in industrial corridors
• Panchayat's nod may be mandatory for acquiring tribal land
• Government may acquire land for government bodies, corporations
• Term private entity was replaced with private enterprise

Comment and Analysis
The Bill that replaces the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 saw debates and protests across the country since the time the ordinance related to it was passed. The main point that raised protests was the removal of the consent clause or social impact assessment.