New Delhi: The Centre tonight issued an executive order to continue better compensation and rehabilitation packages for land-losers, three days before an ordinance providing the increased benefits was to expire.
The Congress likened the order, covering land acquired under 13 central laws, to "rubbing salt on Parliament".
A government statement said Section 113 of the UPA-crafted Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, was being invoked to issue the order.
Though land can be acquired under the 13 laws – including the Atomic Energy Act, National Highways Act and Railways Act -the compensation and rehabilitation packages under them are less than those under the 2013 act.
The 2013 law says the compensation must be two to four times the market value in rural areas and twice in urban zones, besides rehabilitation and resettlement benefits.
Unlike an ordinance, today’s order does not require the President’s approval but must be laid before each House of Parliament.
The order obviates the need for the Narendra Modi government to promulgate the land ordinance again – it has already done so thrice – to extend the benefits under the 13 laws. However, other provisions in the ordinance would lapse with it on August 31. These include exemptions from social impact assessment and consent in land acquisition for five purposes, including public-private partnership projects, and return of unused land after five years.
A joint committee of Parliament is examining the related amendment bill. The Centre has said it will wait for its final report. "Ideally, the government should issue an ordinance. This notification route is like rubbing salt on Parliament," Congress leader and former rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said.