House to take up land Bill in monsoon session

The Rural Development Ministry subsequently revised its Bill and prepared a draft Cabinet note and circulated it among different ministries seeking comments.

A comprehensive Land Acquisition,Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is among the 31 Bills the government has lined up for consideration and passing during the monsoon session of Parliament,scheduled to begin from August 8. The session will conclude on September 7.

Introduced in monsoon session of Parliament last year,the Bill has been already scrutinised by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development,headed by senior BJP member of Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan. The Rural Development Ministry subsequently revised its Bill and prepared a draft Cabinet note and circulated it among different ministries seeking comments.

Sources disclosed that most ministries have submitted their comments to the Rural Development Ministry,which is currently busy preparing a Cabinet note incorporating suggestions from different ministries. It is likely to send the note to the Cabinet next week for approval and thus pave the way for its introduction in the monsoon session.

The government has lined up as many as 15 legislations,including a Constitutional amendment,to deal with the India-Bangladesh Land Boundry Agreement. The list includes the Agricultural Bio-Security Bill,the Bio-Technology Regulatory Authority of India Bill,the Real Estate Regulation and Development Bill,the Street Vendors Protection and Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vendors Bill,the Indian Institute of Information Technology Bill,the Building and Other Construction Workers Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service Amendment Bill,the Rajasthan Legislative Council Bill,the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Amendment Bill.

The sole measure slated for introduction,consideration and passing is the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences Amendment Bill,replacing an ordinance,which will make six AIIMS-like institutions operational and give a legal status to the medical education to be imparted by them.

The consideration of the Marriage Laws Amendment Bill,aimed at making an irretrievable breakdown a ground for divorce,was deferred during the last session. The legislation,seeking to amend Hindu Marriage Act of 1955,will be taken up for consideration and passing.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal met with floor leaders of parties in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has convened a meeting of party leaders for August 6 for a broad discussion on the issues they wished to discuss during the session.

Lokpal Bill not listed: Bansal

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Uncertainty prevails over the Lokpal Bill being brought up for consideration in the monsoon session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the Bill has not been listed for consideration in the session but the government is committed to expeditiously bringing it once it gets the report from the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha.