The Land Acquisition Bill, which strengthens landowners’ rights during acquisition for development, has finally received the nod of the Union Cabinet, and is likely to be introduced in Parliament during the final week of the winter session.

The final version of The Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill was approved by the Cabinet on Thursday, more than a year after Parliament sent the earlier avatar to a Standing Committee. In the months since, the bill has gone through multiple changes, been vetted by Cabinet — where infrastructure ministries objected to provisions seen as hurdles to investment and industry — and been the subject of three rounds of discussion in a ministerial panel headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Amendments to the contentious land acquisition Bill not only seek to hasten the acquisition process through tight time-schedules but also contain a provision that virtually allows the law to be app

Bill during winter session of Parliament; only two-thirds of landowners will have to agree before land can be acquired

After three rounds of vigorous debate, a Group of Ministers has approved the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, with few changes from the version presented to the Union Cabinet last month. This paves the way for the Bill to be introduced in Parliament in the winter session.

The Central Group of Ministers (GoM) discussing the controversial Land Acquisition Bill failed to reach a consensus at its second meeting here on Monday, remaining divided on what percentage of lan

The ministry of chemicals and fertilisers had proposed to set up a national chemical centre to formulate environment and human-friendly policies and contain risks posed by chemicals.

This is aimed at streamlining legislation governing the industry and making entities concerned responsible for their acts. The industry, at present, is governed by multiple legislations under several ministries — the Environment Protection Act, 1986; Factories Act, 1948; Motor Vehicles Act, 1988; Explosives Act, 1884; Disaster Management Act, 2005; CWC Act, 2000 and Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

New Delhi An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on Thursday deferred a decision on the land acquisition Bill, confirming sharp divisions within the government over some of its key provisions.

Sources said the EGoM meeting remained inconclusive as several ministers failed to give their opinion on the Bill and wanted to register their concerns before it got the final nod. The next meeting is scheduled for October 3.

The Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011, that has been struck down by the Calcutta High Court as “unconstitutional and void” was described by Governor M. K. Narayanan here on Monday as one of the “most progressive items of legislations” passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

Mr Narayanan was speaking at an event to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Assembly where he referred to the Singur Act as well as the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, Act, 2011 moved by the Trinamool Congress-led government and passed in the House as the most important legislations.