NEW DELHI: The contentious land bill issue kept the Rural Development Ministry in spotlight throughout this year with the government after a bitter of war of words with the Opposition was forced to withdraw amendments it had sought in the UPA’s land law.
Though the land law was the most talked-about subject of the ministry, the issue was handled from a higher level in the government, frequently inviting barbs from the Opposition that Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh was not kept in the loop.
Other key decisions of the ministry in the year was release of Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) data, launching of Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission (SPMRM) with an outlay of Rs 5,142.08 crore and additional 50 days work beyond the existing 100 days under MGNREGS in areas with drought or natural calamities.
In a key development, the government also brought forward the target date by three years from 2022 to 2019 to achieve complete rural connectivity through all-weather roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Bringing curtains down on the eight-month-long land bill controversy over deleting provisions like consent clause and social impact survey from the 2013, the government in August decided to leave the law regarding land acquisition to states and refrained from issuing an ordinance for the fourth consecutive time, which would have otherwise been a record.
The Joint Committee of Parliament headed by BJP MP S S Ahluwalia, examining the contentious issue sought many extensions and has decided to seek time till the Budget Session to submit its report.(AGENCIES)
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