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Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh have rejected the Parliamentary standing committee's suggestion to delete a clause in the Land Acquisition Bill allowing the government to acquire land for public-private-partnership (PPP) projects. Talking to media here, Sharma said that they would be putting up this point in front of the Cabinet as it may hamper investments. "You cannot take a view which is regressive, which prevents the rules of manufacturing, which will virtually hamper the investors' sentiments. We have to encourage investors in our economy particularly in the manufacturing sector and jobs will only be created there. I have taken on board fully the concerns of the manufacturing and engineering sectors of the industry and what has been conveyed by captains of the industry," he said. "We will be placing this very firmly before the cabinet because we cannot take any step which in fact goes against the original spirit and de-industrialises this country or brings down industrial growth and investments," he added Sharma also said that he was in touch with Jairam Ramesh on this matter and hopes for a proper decision from the cabinet. "I have already spoken to him. But you see, finally the cabinet has to clear this matter. And I am very clear that my ministry's view is we are opposed to the exclusion of manufacturing and industrial activity and PPP projects from the public purpose as defined," he said. Ramesh further said more consultation on the matter need to be done with various parties on the issue. "We will put out a response to the Standing Committee's report which will explain in detail our position on each of the recommendations that have been made. We will go back to cabinet. I propose to have one more round of consultations with state governments and we hope to introduce the revised bill sometime in the monsoon session of the parliament for consideration and passage," said Ramesh. He further said that the stage of the economy is not such that the state should absolve itself of land acquisition. "The state, meaning the government, must have a role in land acquisition. The government must have a role in land acquisition; faster industrialization and faster urbanization are both inevitable and desirable. We must recognise that we are not at a stage of development where government's role in land acquisition can be completely eliminated or abandoned," he added. The bill, aimed at protecting farmers and landowners from exploitation, was tabled in Lok Sabha on Thursday recommended that land can only be acquired for public purpose, which includes highways, rail, power and irrigation.

Anand Sharma, Jairam reject Parliament panel suggestions on land acquisition