Govt re-promulgates land ordinance

The Modi government now faces an uphill task in the Rajya Sabha where it is short of numbers.

The NDA government on Friday re-promulgated the controversial Land Acquisition Ordinance, a day before it was to lapse. As per sources, President Pranab Mukherjee had signed the ordinance on March 31.

The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha but wasn’t introduced in Rajya Sabha. The fresh ordinance incorporates the nine amendments that were part of the bill passed in Lok Sabha, and which were brought in after the first ordinance.

The ordinance primarily seeks to expand the list of projects exempted from key requirements of consent and Social Impact Assessment. A united opposition, led by the Congress, has mounted a campaign against the government’s move to amend the 2013 legislation, terming it “anti farmer”.

The government now faces an uphill task in the Rajya Sabha where it is short of numbers.

Source:: Indian Express