- The Union Government is quite gung-ho about the country being counted among the most developed nations by the year 2047. The aspirational society is poised to be on the right path to realise the stated objectives, the Union Government led by the Prime Minister wishes the countrymen to believe this. None would dispute the fact that we all want to improve our living standards with every amenity made available at affordable rates, without being made to feel we are second to someone. Yes, the purchasing power of Indians has steadily headed northwards over the last few years. We are proud of the fact that India is anointed as one of the three largest economies of the world. Our GDP is doing satisfactorily without being spectacular.
PC: The Hindu
- The incumbent Union Government has initiated several economically prudent measures aimed at revitalizing as well as providing greater fillip to boost the growth prospects in line with the intended aspirations. One of the major factors that ensures the country’s growth is the critical land reforms. India can’t put off land reform any longer. As such, a tragedy in Maharashtra was a sharp reminder how we are failing on this front. Last week, Bombay HC cancelled land acquisition for an international airport in a Navi Mumbai village. Farmers whose land was acquired in 2017 had complained they weren’t adequately compensated. HC agreed the state shouldn’t have used an urgency clause that denied them a say in the matter.
PC: The Indian Express
- Just two weeks before this, Punjab & Haryana HC had settled a 64-year-old matter by ordering a Haryana discom to compensate farmers whose land it had acquired in 1961. Mind you, note every land dispute culminates in a courtroom, though. Recollect how a sarpanch of Maasajog village in Beed, Maharashtra was brutally murdered last December for resisting a politically connected person trying to control land leases for wind farms. That case led to the sacking of a state minister eventually. Sadly, nothing has changed on the ground though. As a growing economy, India needs land for building cities, highways, airports, factories, mining, and much more. But land holdings are typically so small, and land titles so mixed up, land acquisition has become challenging.
PC: News18
- Little wonder, disputes surrounding land acquisition have become hurdles for growth. Data research group Land Conflict Watch says 10.5mn Indians are currently affected by land conflicts – up from 6.5mn in 2020 – and investments worth $396bn are stuck as a result. Overall, some 50,000-sq km – roughly the area of Punjab – is tied up in these disputes, most of which won’t be resolved anytime soon. Further, in 2019, think tank Centre for Policy Research said the average pendency of land cases in India is 20 years. For India to grow at over 8% annually – which is imperative – land reforms that remove hurdles to growth without trampling landowners are a must. The authorities must usher in land reforms expeditiously.
