Land Acquisition Bill will combat Maoist activity claims Jairam Ramesh

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday remained confident about the scope of the recently passed Land Acquisition Bill, and said if the law is implemented properly it would play a crucial role in combating Maoist activities in the country.

"The new law that has been formed for land acquisition which has recently been passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, if implemented properly and with honesty will reduce a factor that has been spreading Maoism and it will provide the government a effective weapon against Maoists and it will help indigenous communities," Ramesh said.

"Matters related to land and the jungles are influencing Maoists. The indigenous communities here are very upset and angry and the policy adopted by us for land acquisition, the Forest Act of 1927 and the way it was implemented has promoted Maoists in the area," he added.

The bill, which will replace a century-old law, is historic and revolutionary as it seeks to provide fair and just compensation to farmers and to those who lose their livelihood on account of acquisition.

The new bill proposes that farmers and landowners be paid up to four times the market value for land acquired in rural areas, and two times the market value in urban areas.

The other significant aspect of the Bill is that the consent of 80 percent of land owners is needed for acquiring land for private projects and of 70 percent landowners for public-private projects.

Public purpose as per the bill includes sectors like mining, infrastructure, defence, manufacturing zones, ports, roads, and railways built by the government and public sector enterprises.