Land Bill DeQoded: Why Rahul Calls Modi Govt ‘Suit-Boot Sarkar’

Apart from the consent clause, the second roadblock to its passage in the Rajya Sabha is the selective inclusion of Social Impact Assessment.Want a 90-second round up on what Rahul’s fight is about? Watch.Social Impact What ???The Social Impact Assessment (SIA) is essentially a survey or a preliminary investigation conducted before land is acquired. It should answer 5 basic questions1. How many people will be displaced and/or affected by the land acqusition?2. Does the project for which land has been acquired serve a public purpose?3. What is the extent of land needed to be acquired for the project?4. Has acquisition at another place been considered and not found feasible?5. Does the adverse economic impact on the landowners outweigh the greater public good?Not A Perfect BillUPA’s 2013 Bill proposed to complete the exercise within 6 months. But there were 2 glaring loopholes1. The SIA could be done away with in ‘matters of urgency’ which remained vaguley defined2. The advice of the expert panel conducting this survey could be disregarded by the governmentNDA’s AmendmentsThe NDA government’s Bill says the survey must be conducted but exempted projects that fall under 5 categories1. Defence2. Rural Infrastructure3. Affordable Housing4. Industrial Corridors5. Public-Private Partnership ProjectsArguments FOR Social Impact Assessment1. The survey allows the displaced and affected landowners to voice their concerns or reservations 2. It allows for an official estimate on how many people will be directly and indirectly affected by a land acquisition bid3. Ensures bare minimum land is acquired for the project in question4. Decides if the number of people benefitting from the project outnumber those affected by it.Arguments AGAINST the Survey1. A Social Impact Assessment Survey can be time consuming, especially for urgent matters like Defence2. Can allow anyone with a political agenda to ‘obstruct’ development projectsThe Politics of Social Impact Survey The Modi sarkaar has made a half-hearted attempt to placate the opposition. The amended Bill says that before issuing a notification waiving the need for a survey, the government must specify that only the bare minimum land is being acquired. It’s a half-measure that is unlikely to be acceptable to the Congress. Aware that the legislation will not pass muster in the Rajya Sabha, NDA floor managers are likely to push for the next constitutional measure - a joint session of the Parliament where is has more room to boost its numbers.

BECOME A MEMBER

Land Bill DeQoded: Why Rahul Calls Modi Govt ‘Suit-Boot Sarkar’

Watered down Social Impact Survey in Modi’s Land Bill may have something to do with Rahul’s rage in Parliament today

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from explainers

Topics: Land Acquisition Rahul Gandhi Land Acquisition Bill