A 12-member group of ministers (GoM) headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, formed to vet certain provisions in the controversial Land Acquisition Bill, met in New Delhi on Thursday, but did not take any decision on the draft legislation.

The meeting took place amid criticisms from civil society activists that the rural development ministry had watered down some provisions of the Bill, which has been renamed as The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011. Industry representatives, however, welcomed the changes.