Counterview, 27 Dec 2014: The apex body of tens of people’s organizations across India, National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has termed the Narendra Modi government’s reported decision to come up with an amendment to water down the Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013 in the form of an ordinance as nothing but an effort push an “anti-poor corporate agenda”. NAPM is led by top social activist Medha Patkar.
Regretting that the new Act “has not been fully implemented in earnest by either state governments, or the Central government,”, the NAPM has admitted, “A climate has been created by corporate houses and Modi Sarkaar that the new land Act is an impediment to the developmental needs of the country.”
The statement said, “As per the Act, the government was to bring a Notification in the Parliament in year 2014 to extend the provisions of the compensation and R&R to the people affected by land acquisition carried through the 13 central Acts, as mentioned in Fourth Schedule. Rather than doing so, it is also proposing to make amendments to two of the key provisions, ‘consent’ and ‘Social Impact Assessment’ of the new Act. These two provisions are central to addressing the issue of ‘forced land acquisition’ and ‘resulting impoverishment” to the communities.”