Land reforms will help curb farmer suicides: Nitin Gadkari

Those opposing the Bill want three conditions incorporated in it — no forcible acquisition of land from farmers, mandatory social impact assessment and clarity on industrial corridor. Thackeray reportedly told Gadkari that his party would not oppose the Bill if the three conditions were met.

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Earlier in the day, Gadkari had said he was ready to meet social activist Anna Hazare and NCP president Sharad Pawar too to explain how the reforms undertaken by the government would be helpful to farmers.

He said: “There are some apprehensions, which once explained would clear the picture. I am confident the Act will be passed. It is not against farmers. To the contrary, it will help farmers. It will help rural India.”

He said the land reforms, if not allowed, would bring irrigation projects to a standstill. “It would further aggravate the agriculture crisis in the state, which is reeling under highest number of farmer suicides,” said Gadkari.

“At 16.8 per cent, Maharashtra’s irrigation potential is second lowest after Jharkhand, which should be a cause for concern for all parties,” he added.

The Union minister, who belongs to Vidarbha region, said: “Almost 80 per cent of the land acquisition in state would be for the purpose of irrigation projects. The allegation that land acquisition will be to promote industries or big developers is absolutely baseless. The UPA, which is accusing the NDA of being anti-farmer, had enlisted 13 categories for land acquisition, including coal mines and minerals.”
He said the Congress that was raising questions related to the removal of consent (the government or private individuals/companies will no longer need mandatory 80 per cent consent from farmers for land acquisition in some sectors) and the mandatory Social Impact Assessment clauses had opposed the same in the past.

According to him, all Congress chief ministers, including Prithviraj Chavan, had expressed concerns over the UPA land Act. Though it had been made compulsory to pay four times compensation for land acquired from farmers, the Chavan government gave only 50 per cent compensation.

The BJP leader said the land reforms were being wrongly perceived as pro-industries or pro-rich. “On the contrary, we want to promote industries in rural areas. Why should we have Mumbai-Delhi corridors only. Unless we take industries to rural India, how are we going to bring economic prosperity and resolve unemployment,” he said.

Chavan, meanwhile, dismissed Gadkari’s argument of linking land reforms to irrigation potential as baseless. “The reasons for the state’s low irrigation potential are different. Land reforms alone can’t enhance the irrigation potential. The amendments brought by the BJP government have raised questions over farmers’ welfare,” he said.

BJP holds workshop for MLAs, ministers

The Bharatiya Janata Party Friday started a three-day workshop for its elected members and ministers ahead of the crucial budget session beginning on March 9.

The closed-door session is taking place at Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhani in the outskirts of Mumbai. A senior functionary said: “The purpose of the meeting is to enable close interaction between the elected members and ministers and apprise them about the conduct in the state assembly.”

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the session that was inaugurated by Union minister Nitin Gadkari Friday.