Modi to meet CMs next week on land Bill

Chief ministers have been invited to participate in the second governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet chief ministers of all states to break the deadlock over amendments to the Land Acquisition Bill and other contentious issues.

This initiative comes a little over a year after the National Democratic Alliance government first started consultations with states to modify the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

Chief ministers have been invited to participate in the second governing council meeting of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog. "Yes, a governing council meeting of the NITI Aayog is scheduled for July 15 and all issues will be discussed there," an official spokesman of the Aayog told Business Standard.

The council is also expected to review work by three sub-groups of chief ministers constituted in the last meeting held in February.

The sub-group on centrally sponsored schemes, headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, is expected to submit its report to the council. The group has recommended lowering the number of schemes to 30 from over 70.

The two other sub-groups on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and skill development are  headed by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, respectively.

This will be the second time the NDA government is seeking to involve states in amending the Land Acquisition Bill.  On June 27, 2014, the then Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari met officials from state revenue departments to discuss the Bill. Before that, the issue had cropped up in a meeting of state finance ministers with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Official documents show that in the meeting called by Gadkari, an overwhelming majority of states were of the view that the 2013 law was a stumbling block for acquisition of land.

The Centre thereafter amended the Act through an Ordinance, which kept five sectors, including rural infrastructure and housing, and public-private partnership projects, where ownership of land rests with the government, out of the ambit of the consent clause and social impact assessment.

The Ordinance was criticised for being industry-friendly and against the interests of farmers. The Centre introduced nine more amendments to answer critics. The Lok Sabha at the conclusion of the budget session referred the bill to a 30-member joint committee of Parliament that is expected to submit its report by the first day of the monsoon session. But officials said it might seek an extension.

The fate of the Goods and Services Tax Bill, too, hangs in the balance with some states having reservations over a few provisions. This bill is also being reviewed by a select committee of the Rajya Sabha.