Thursday, May 26, 2011

Farmers' land should be acquired only with their consent

The land should be acquired by government for national development only with the consent of the farmers or whoever the owner is.National Advisory Council (NAC) has rightly suggested that land owners be given six times the registered value of their land as compensation if it is acquired for development projects like dams and highways. The Land Acquisition Act of 1894 is now out dated. So, it requires to be modified immediately. The faulty land acquisition act is the result of the recent farmers’ unrest in Greater Noida villages. The agriculture has been the primary source of livelihood in India. Land is the invaluable assets for farmers. The government must have power to acquire land of the farmers for purposeful work but in return it must compensate the land owners adequately. The acquired land must also be meant for the development of the nation. Any private party who is allowed to acquire the farmers cultivable land must not be for only development of individual’s business and industry. There also be provision that unless and untill 70 percent of the farmers agree to give their land for the development of the public of that area as well as the nation, acquisition must not be carried out. Before acquiring the cultivable land of the farmers, they must be properly and adequately given compensation and made arrangement for rehabilitation.As far as the issue of land acquisition by the government and private party is concerned, the agricultural land only be acquired when there is no barren land left to used. If the case of Nandigram and Singur is anything to go by, the government must be alive to the consequences. Otherwise, farmers’ unrest is bound to take place. It is good that the NAC has reached a consensus on combining the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill into a single National Development, Acquisition, Displacement and Rehabilitation Bill.All land transfers for public purpose must come under the purview of this law.There was consensus in the Council on inclusion persons working on the land into the category of project affected persons which would make them eligible for receiving compensation. This would be recognise the most invisible persons in the land acquisition process who lose their source of livelihood once the land is acquired. The NAC recommendations also include giving farmers the right to annuity for a certain number of years over and above the compensation for the land acquired from him.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

ISI-link confirmed

With the nature, magnitude and modus operandi of Mumbai attacks, not only the Indian Intelligence agencies but also the defence analysts were firm in their view that it was the handiwork of LeT and ISI of Pakistan that killed 166 innocent persons. Pakistani American national David Coleman Headley, a prosecution witness and one of the accused in Mumbai attacks has also vindicated during his trial appearance in Chicago court that ISI helped him and LeT founder Hafiz Sayeed instigated him to attack India. They provided enpormous support for laying ground work for the attack. In this way, Pakistan has been exposed before the world community that its intelligence agency and military establishment provided all sorts of help in carrying out the Mumbai attacks of 26/11. It has completely failed in providing protection to the innocent people in Pakistan against the onslaught home grown terror groups. It is an appropreate time for the world community to take a decisive step to wipe out vestiges of terrorism from Pakistan so that there remained no danger to peace anywhere in the world. Though Pakistan, these-days, is itself in the throes of terrorism, it is not altogether worrying because now it is reaping the crops the seeds of which it had sown to bleed India. The international community should also be in no doubt now that the tree of terroris is deep-rooted in Pakistan. And it has to pay the price for its senseless evil design on its next-door neighbour India. Pakistan has never accepted that world’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is hiding there like it is denying of any role in Mumbai attacts. But what has happened after 11 years of 9/11 is that Osama bin Laden the mastermind of the worst ever attack on America was killed by the US armed personnel in Abotabad of Pakistan. Since the killing of Osama, the Taliban militants are acting in revenge mode in Pakistan. Though peaceful and stablised Pakistan is a necessity not only for India but also the entire world.In further indictment of ISI, 26/11 accused David Coleman Headley said the Pakistani spy agency and its operatives like Major Iqbal and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed had helped him in laying the groundwork for the Mumbai attacks.