NAC consensus on land acquisition bill

NAC consensus on land acquisition bill

The Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) has suggested land owners be given six times the registered value of their land as compensation if it is acquired for development projects like dams and highways.

The NAC has made the suggestion in the National Development, Acquisition, Displacement and Rehabilitation Bill.

At its meeting chaired by Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday, the NAC reached a consensus on combining the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill into a single National Development, Acquisition, Displacement and Rehabilitation Bill.

"All land transfers for public purpose must come under the purview of this law," Aruna Roy, member NAC, told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.

One of the recommendations to the government would be giving farmers six times the registered value of their land as compensation, Harsh Mander, another NAC member and convenor of the Working Group on Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation said.

He said there was consensus in the Council on inclusion persons working on the land into the category of project affected persons which would make them eligible for receiving compensation.

"This would recognise the most invisible persons in the land acquisition process who lose their source of livelihood once the land is acquired," Mander said.

The NAC recommendations also include giving farmers the right to annuity for a certain number of years over and above the compensation for the land acquired from him.