Farmer leaders meet FM, want consent clause back
11 Jun 2015 5:56 AM IST
Farmer leaders from different organisations, including NDA ally Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, on Wednesday met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, demanding restoring the consent clause in the Land Bill and a white paper on the status of land acquired so far.
Jaitley assured them the government does not want to 'snatch' their land and that a solution to the vexed issue will be found "to the satisfaction of farmers", the delegation members said. The delegation submitted a memorandum to the Minister concerning various aspects of the Bill, which the government claimed was arrived at after consulting more than 65 farmers' bodies.
"There should be no land acquisition without seeking farmers' consent. The compensation has to be minimum four times of market price of land. Irrigated land should not be acquired. We are ready to give land if it's meant for national security, but in other cases, we won't give it," said Lok Sabha MP and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetty.
He added: "He (Jaitley) has assured us that Government too doesn't want to snatch farmers' land. He also assured us to find out a way in which farmers are satisfied."
The All-India Kisan Co-ordination Committee, union of 65 farmers' outfits, insisted that the government retain a clause of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act under which land not utilised for five years for the purpose for which it was acquired was to return to the original owner. They also asked the government to come up with a white paper on status of use of land acquired from farmers during the past 60-65 years for various projects.
The Bill, which proposes various amendments including removal of the consent clause, a key feature of 2013 Act brought by the UPA-II government, is currently being discussed by a Parliamentary Joint Committee, which has met thrice so far.
Former BJP Kisan Morcha leader and advisor to DD Kisan channel Naresh Sirohi said the government
has agreed to consider "most of the demands" of farmers and senior ministers will hold deliberations on their main demands.
Arun Jaitley to visit US on 16 June
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will embark on a 10-day US visit, beginning June 16, during which he will meet Treasury Secretary, foreign institutional investors and industry leaders. He will travel to New York, Washington and San Francisco during the visit ending on 25 June, sources said. During the New York visit, Jaitley will interact with the officials of the New York Stock Exchange, meet FIIs and address students of two American institutes. In Washington, he is scheduled to meet US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, while in San Francisco he will hold a round-table discussion with the members of US-India Business Council, sources said.
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