<p>Land markets in India being imperfect, the government intends to enact a transparent and flexible set of rules and regulations and to ensure its enforcement, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh says in the foreword to the draft.<br /><br />In recent years, there have been a spate of protests, some even turning violent, over acquisition of farmland for housing and industrial projects, calling for a transparent set of rules that balances the need for industrialisation with the issue of livelihood.<br /><br />"Under our Constitution, land is a State subject, but land acquisition is a Concurrent subject. So far, the basic law governing the land acquisition process has been the Land Acquisition Act, 1894," Ramesh said.<br /><br />"Although it has been amended from time to time, it is painfully evident that the basic law has become archaic," he added.<br /><br />"The draft bill is being placed in the public domain as part of the pre-legislative consultative process. Comments are invited preferably before Aug 31," Ramesh said, adding land records will also be updated and digitised to induce transparency.</p>
<p>Land markets in India being imperfect, the government intends to enact a transparent and flexible set of rules and regulations and to ensure its enforcement, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh says in the foreword to the draft.<br /><br />In recent years, there have been a spate of protests, some even turning violent, over acquisition of farmland for housing and industrial projects, calling for a transparent set of rules that balances the need for industrialisation with the issue of livelihood.<br /><br />"Under our Constitution, land is a State subject, but land acquisition is a Concurrent subject. So far, the basic law governing the land acquisition process has been the Land Acquisition Act, 1894," Ramesh said.<br /><br />"Although it has been amended from time to time, it is painfully evident that the basic law has become archaic," he added.<br /><br />"The draft bill is being placed in the public domain as part of the pre-legislative consultative process. Comments are invited preferably before Aug 31," Ramesh said, adding land records will also be updated and digitised to induce transparency.</p>