Cabinet okays extension of part of land Act to other central laws

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval to an order issued by government on August 28, to extend the provisions of compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement available to farmers under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to 13 other central laws as well.

The controversial issue of land ordinance, which was allowed to lapse on August 31, was also briefly discussed at the meeting of the Cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, during which views were exchanged on the feedback from grassroots after the lapse of the ordinance.

Sources said the prime minister was keen to know the reaction of farmers to the two land ordinance-related decisions taken by government in the past one week. Some ministers, according to the sources, said the decision to allow the ordinance to lapse was the right move against the backdrop of the "misinformation campaign" by opposition parties and some non-governmental organisations, which was creating "perception problems" for the government.

"Some decision has been taken. A discussion happened...," petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said at the Cabinet briefing when asked whether land ordinance was discussed and whether the government gave ex-post facto approval to the order it had issued on August 28. Giving up the ordinance route, the government had last week issued an order to ensure farmers, whose land is acquired under 13 other central laws, continue to get the benefits of relief, rehabilitation and compensation available to them under the Land Acquistion Act of 2013.

The order issued by the government under the removal of difficulties clause (Section 113) in the Land Act extended the provisions relating to the determination of compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement to all cases of land acquisition under 13 central laws which were left out in the 2013 law.

By using the clause, government did away with the need to issue the controversial land ordinance for a record fourth time. The ordinance finally lapsed on August 31, six weeks after the commencement of the monsoon session of parliament on July 21.