Land Acquisition: An overview of proposed amendments to the law
Distilled Policy Brief
- On 10 March the Lok Sabha passed the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and it is now pending in the Rajya Sabha.
- The Bill seeks to exempt five categories – defence, rural infrastructure, affordable housing, industrial corridors and other infrastructure projects – from the 80%/70% land‑owner consent and Social Impact Assessment requirements of the 2013 Act.
- It also alters the timeline for returning unutilised acquired land and empowers the government to issue notifications to relax limits on irrigated multi‑cropped land acquisition.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Lok Sabha passed amendment Bill on 10 March; Bill exempts defence, rural infra, affordable housing, industrial corridors and infrastructure projects from consent and SIA provisions.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
The amendment balances accelerated infrastructure development against safeguards for land‑owners, raising issues of federal‑state coordination, compensation adequacy and displacement rehabilitation.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
Under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which of the following categories of projects is NOT proposed to be exempted from the 80%/70% land‑owner consent and Social Impact Assessment requirements of the 2013 Act?
- [A] Defence projects
- [B] Rural infrastructure projects
- [C] Renewable energy projects
- [D] Industrial corridors
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
The amendment Bill exempts five categories – defence, rural infrastructure, affordable housing, industrial corridors and other infrastructure projects – from consent and SIA requirements. Renewable energy projects are not listed among these exemptions, making option C the correct answer. All other options are explicitly mentioned as exempted categories.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.