Retrospective effect for land bill to be examined: Jairam

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The government will examine whether the proposed land acquisition bill should have retrospective effect, minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Ramesh said the government was trying to introduce the bill in the current session of Parliament itself. Currently, the bill has been put in the public domain and circulated to leaders of political parties and chief ministers for their opinion. All view points will be considered before the bill is given a final shape, he added.

Congress member Ijyaraj Singh, who raised the main question, said there were several grey areas in the definition of public purpose for acquisition of land.

Ramesh said the bill was unique as it has provided for the rehabilitation and resettlement of farmers and farm labour while acquiring land. He said land acquisition was a concurrent subject which came under the purview of states. So wide consideration, including the definition of public purpose for land acquisition, was needed before finalisation of the bill.